Case Study
by kitten2010
Summary: While studying old cases, Dr. Spencer Reid decides to help the only survivor of a child trafficking ring. He's finding out what it takes to be a father and learning the importance of family. Contains a Reid/OC relationship and one adorable little kid.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Please be warned that this story will get very emotional at times, especially right at the beginning.**

Spencer rubbed his eyes, knowing the images in front of him would not allow him to get any sleep that night. He often read case studies to hone his skills, using the information in the convicted suspect's file and the information about the case to build a profile. He was generally able to remain detached when he did this, to the point that he knew it worried everyone else. Even if he weren't so perceptive, he still heard them whispering in the break room. Occasionally, they confronted him about it:

"Reid, you have to be careful doing this," Prentiss had said. "If you take these things home with you, there's no escape."

"Kid, you have to leave that stuff here," Morgan had said. "Home should be a place this doesn't follow."

"Rest that mega-brain, wonder child," Garcia had said. "We need you fully functional."

Spencer hadn't listened and he knew now that he would pay for it. He took a shaking breath in and turned off his desk lamp. The room was bathed in darkness, but he could still see it in his mind, the haunting images of a child trafficking ring. It had been one of the largest ones to ever be discovered, that's what had interested Spencer. He hadn't anticipated those pictures, frame after frame of bloodied and broken children that were gone forever, killed by men who would rather commit murder than see those children return home. He shuddered and turned the light back on. He had come too far to quit.

He put the pictures and papers he'd already looked at back into their manila folders and then slid the last unopened folder in front of him. There he read the story of the only child that had survived.

The sun was rising, but Reid hadn't noticed. He was enthralled by the survivor, a boy that hadn't even been reported missing. He felt some sort of attachment growing. The boy was estimated to be about four or five years old and was still recovering from his injuries four months after being rescued. No family had stepped forward.

Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, but as he looked into the green eyes of the child in the picture, it was almost as if he was being summoned. He glanced at the clock and then picked up the phone.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The boy knew the nightmare was coming. He knew, but couldn't fight it. The dead eyes stared at him, blood was on him and it felt grimy and warm.

"Why did you survive?" a girl's voice asked. The girl had been almost like a friend during the bad days, but now she was always asking him a question he couldn't answer. "Why did they let you live? Why couldn't I go home?"

The boy tried to wipe his face clean, but his hands were dirty too. "I don't know," he whimpered. "I'm sorry." He wanted very much to wake up. The guilt was overwhelming.

He was a ghost. He had no family, no life before the bad men. That life was all he'd ever known. The others weren't like that. They called out for "Mommy", "Daddy" etc. People missed them. People wanted them back. No one wanted the boy, no one missed him. He was the last one that deserved to live.

The boy stared into each pair of dead eyes and started to cry. "I didn't mean to," he said. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." All the eyes were on him, accusing him.

He was ripped from the nightmare as suddenly he shook. His eyes flew open and he saw the form of one of the nurse ladies. He was still crying and shaking. The eyes lingered in the edges of his vision.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Reid's phone buzzed in his pocket and he answered it quickly, darting out into the hallway. "This is Dr. Reid," he said.

"Hello, this is Rose Crispin," a smooth voice with hints of a Southern drawl replied. "I was calling to let you know that you've met our initial criteria. I'd like to confirm that you are still interested in foster parenting with intent to adopt."

"Yes, yes," Reid said. He'd been a bit worried when filling out the application. While he knew his salary and education were definitely in his favor, he'd worried that his unmarried status and demanding job would ruin his chances.

"Alright, well I'd like to make an appointment for a home inspection," Rose replied. He could almost hear the smile in her voice. "I'm available tomorrow afternoon, if that works for you."

"That's fine," Reid said. He was grinning widely as he returned to the office. He sat down, still in a victorious stupor. Shortly after, it all came crashing down. He hadn't yet converted his office into a bedroom. He bolted away from his desk and rushed to Garcia's office.

"Ever learn to knock, boy genius?" Garcia teased, setting down one of her flashy pens.

"I need your help," Spencer said.

"Ask and I will attempt."

Spencer took a deep breath. "It's a bit of a long story…I was looking at a case file the other night and I think I found an opportunity to do something great."

"What's that?"

"There's this boy and I think I'm supposed to be the one to take care of him."

"Wait a minute, back up. Do you even like kids?" Garcia was on the verge of laughter.

Spencer forewent debating the definition of 'like' and responded, "I have no idea. I'm largely indifferent but that's how I know that this is really something I need to do. He doesn't have anyone in the world to be there for him and after all he's been through I think that I'd be the best person to take care of him."

Garcia nodded. "I'm so proud of you," she said sincerely.

"Good, so will you help me?"

"What do you need?"

Spencer bit the corner of his lip. "I have no idea what four year olds need."

::::::::::::::::::::::

Rose followed the nervous man through the house and surveyed each room, noting that each room was suitable. Everything was childproofed, every gun required for the agent's work was stored away in a safe, the kitchen was sanitary and well stocked. The agent had even provided a completed FBI background check for the nanny he had selected to provide care for the boy.

"This would be his room," Dr. Reid said, gesturing to a semi-open door. Rose pushed the door open and looked around.

The blue paint on the wall was fresh and everything inside looked brand new. Toys lined one wall, each one serving some intellectual purpose: a miniature xylophone, building blocks, puzzles, and books. A solid oak bed frame supported a twin mattress with navy blue sheets and a matching quilt. Resting on a pillow was the only thing that wasn't new, a worn teddy bear with a missing eye and a drooping bowtie.

Rose picked up the teddy bear and examined it.

Dr. Reid stepped over and reached for the toy. "If that's inappropriate, I can remove it. I thought…I thought that he would enjoy it. It was mine as a child."

Rose smiled. She could tell that this was a very smart, logical man, but also one that would be very caring. "It's perfect," she said. "I think I've seen all that I need to."

The FBI agent nodded. "Thank you for your time," he said.

Rose smiled knowingly. "I know I'm not a profiler, but I think I know what's on your mind and my answer is, I can't tell you for sure yes or no if you'll become the child's foster father. What I can say is, it is evident that you want to be and that you've put a lot of care and thought into this and that will go a long way."

Dr. Reid seemed to relax a little. "I was wondering if perhaps you knew the boy's name. I can't find it anywhere."

Rose sighed. "He won't tell us what it is and we still haven't been able to find anything about him. We're still searching."

:::::::::::::::::::::::

Spencer stepped the break room and stored his lunch in the refrigerator and then went to pour himself his third cup of coffee of the morning. When he turned around, he found the entire team staring back at him.

"Garcia," he groaned.

"I swear, they tortured it out of me," Garcia said, holding up her hands in mock self defense.

"When were you going to tell us you wanted to be a daddy?" Morgan said, giving the young Ph.D. a good natured shove.

"Careful," Spencer said, smiling through his charade of indignation. "I don't know for sure yet if I'll be chosen. I'm sure others that are a lot better than me have shown interest."

"There's no one better than you," J.J. said in her caring way. "You'll be great."

"You're going to have to put in your request for time off now, Reid," Hotch added. Only those that knew him could see past the cool exterior. The team's leader was just as proud as the other members.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

The boy could feel something different about that day from the moment he woke up. The nurse who brought him breakfast seemed very excited. "Miss Rose is going to come see you today," she said.

The boy kept his hands folded neatly while the nurse pulled his bedside table over his lap and then set his breakfast before him. "Why?" he asked softly.

"She has some good news."

The boy picked up his spoon and carefully took a bite of oatmeal. "Thank you," he muttered.

The nurse left, muttering to herself about how polite the boy was.

He finished half of his food, knowing that any less would earn him a scolding from the doctor. He pushed the tray away and stared down at the slight roundness of his tummy. He wasn't used to seeing that. He poked it and wondered if he was going to get a big fat pot belly like some of the bad men had. He felt ashamed, remembering the dream. It hadn't come that night, but it didn't matter. He would always remember, awake or asleep.

:::::::::::::::::::::

Rose parked her car in front of Dr. Reid's home and went around to the backseat to open the door for the boy. His green eyes were wide with terror behind his straight, blond bangs. The brunette caseworker wanted nothing more than to take his tiny little hand in hers, but the boy generally shirked away from shows of affection. She led the way to the door and didn't have to ring the bell or knock.

"Hello," Dr. Reid said, smiling nervously.

The boy looked up at Rose and then at Dr. Reid. He seemed confused, but didn't speak. He took a small step backward. "It's alright," Rose said. "Come inside and look around."

The boy followed her, still afraid, but he trusted her. Dr. Reid's eyes never left the boy. The young man seemed all an once excited and terrified. "I, uh, I made a snack. I wasn't sure if you'd be hungry," he said to the boy.

The boy stared up at him silently.

Rose gave Dr. Reid a reassuring smile. "Come on, let's go see what he made for us. This is Dr. Spencer Reid. He wants to take care of you."

The boy remained silent and climbed into a chair without assistance. He stared down at the table as Dr. Reid set down a tray of sliced apples and cheese.

"Wasn't that nice of him?" Rose said. Leading by example, she took a slice of cheese from the tray.

::::::::::::::::::::::

The boy hesitated and then took a piece of apple. He was scared of this strange place, but he trusted Rose. He snuck another glance at the man who was standing across from him. He didn't look like any of the bad men and Rose had called him a doctor, but the boy still wasn't sure.

Once he started eating the bit of apple, he realized he was in fact very hungry. He ate as much as he could, but felt the familiar guilt once all the snacks were gone. He looked down at his stomach, how it poked out a bit, and he felt ashamed again.

The grown ups stood and the boy followed them. He got up on the couch and sat close by Rose. He could sense that she was about to say something and he was a little bit afraid.

Rose put her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "Alright, I'm going to go now. This will be your home and Dr. Reid will take care of you. I'll be back to check on you, I promise."

The boy felt his jaw drop a little bit. He didn't quite understand what she meant. Rose stood up and waved good bye. "Be good," she said. And then she left.

The boy pulled his knees up to his chest and looked around. Rose had really left, she was gone. He heard her car drive away. She'd left him in this house with this strange man. The boy's lip started to tremble. He wondered what was going to happen to him. He started to cry.

::::::::::::::::::::::

It was strangely cathartic to see the boy as more than just a picture. Spencer had spent so long focusing on following his calling to help the child and now that the boy was there with him, he felt vindicated.

Reid hadn't been nervous until the door closed and he was alone with the boy. When the child started to cry, Reid wondered if it wasn't too late to call Rose back. He still wanted to help the boy more than anything, but he had no idea what to do.

"It's alright," Reid said. He sat down next to the boy, but wisely chose to keep his hands to himself.

The boy was sobbing into his tiny hands and stopped once Spencer spoke, looking at him through spread fingers.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Spencer said in his best reassuring voice. "You're here because I'm going to take care of you."

The boy dropped his hands and continued to stare at Spencer, but he still hadn't spoken.

"My name is Spencer," Reid said. "I work for the FBI. I catch the bad guys."

The boy seemed intrigued. Reid's throat was dry from nervousness and he coughed. The boy jumped, looking as if he might cry again because he'd been startled.

"My friend Penelope helped me make you a really cool room, do you want to see?" Spencer said.

The boy nodded and followed silently. Spencer opened the door and immediately looked down to judge the child's reaction. The boy looked around and Spencer could see a bit of a spark there. He walked over to the closet and indicated a shelf that was low to the ground. "You can take your shoes of and put them here," he said.

The boy followed directions, sitting down on the floor and carefully undoing the Velcro fastens on his tiny tennis shoes and then pulling them off slowly. He put the shoes on the shelf and then wrapped his arms around his shins, looking up at Spencer. Spencer moved over to the toys and gestured to them. "These are all for you," he said.

The boy just stared and Spencer moved away, standing in the door way. The boy then reached out for one of the blocks and examined it. He placed the block back exactly where he'd found it. The process was repeated for each toy and Spencer got a bit nervous. Maybe he should have bought the colorful dinosaur thing Garcia had suggested. The boy didn't seem to like any of the toys.

The boy moved away from the toys and over to the bed. He climbed up onto the mattress using the footboard and crawled over to grab the teddy bear. He hugged it to his chest and Spencer was relieved. At least there was one good decision. The boy fell asleep after a while, still hugging the teddy bear. Spencer stayed and watched him for the longest time. He felt joy at helping the boy, but he was still terrified that he wouldn't do well.

Spencer finally moved away from the doorway and went back to his living room. Something felt different about the house. It felt warmer, more like a home. He grabbed a book, sat down, and smiled with satisfaction as he read while his future son slept.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The boy tried to scream, but he couldn't. The hand over his mouth stopped him. He shook with terror, realizing it was a dream. That offered little relief. He knew what came next, what the bad man in his dream was going to do to him. He knew it was going to hurt. He knew how disgusting he would feel when it was done. He started screaming into the man's hand when the pain started. He tried to kick his legs, to fight back somehow, but it was like a weight was crushing him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::

Spencer dropped his book and rushed to the screaming boy. He flipped the light of the room on and saw the boy thrashing on the bed. He knelt beside the boy and gently tried to wake him. The boy was whimpering, sobbing in his sleep, and there was a urine stain on the front of his pants.

"Wake up," Spencer said in his best soothing voice. "Wake up now." He wished that he'd been able to find out the boy's name.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The boy's eyes shot open and he stared up at the ceiling, his body still heaving from the exertion of his terror. He sat up in the bed, carefully setting down the teddy bear on the pillow behind him. He looked down and saw that he'd had an accident. He started to cry and tried to cover himself up.

He felt so ashamed and wondered if he was going to be punished for making a mess. It was hard to talk after all the crying, but he managed to look at the man next to him and squeak out, "I'm sorry."

:::::::::::::::::::::::

Spencer felt like he'd been punched. He'd never heard the boy speak before. "I'm sorry," the boy whispered again.

"It's alright," Spencer said. "Come and let me help you clean up. It's alright, I'm not mad." Reid stood and picked the boy up. The child started to cry a little but remained still.

Spencer was still terrified that he was going to do the wrong thing, but it was almost as if he was on auto-pilot. He carried the boy to the bathroom and started to fill the bath tub with warm water. He made a shushing sound and reassured the boy, "I'm not going to hurt you." He helped the boy out of his soiled clothes and into the warm water.

Reid could feel that the boy was watching him, but did his best to act like he was in control. He handed the boy a washcloth and the child immediately covered himself. Spencer grabbed another washcloth and started to wash the boy's back. The boy's tears subsided and he continued to study Dr. Reid.

Spencer went and grabbed the cup from next to the sink. He used it to pour water over the boy's head and then started to wash his hair with the baby shampoo that Garcia had insisted was still age appropriate. "Cover your eyes," Reid instructed as he rinsed the soap away. "You can finish washing yourself, I'm going to grab some clean clothes for you."

Rose had told Spencer the boy's sizes and he'd bought a few necessary garments, but Garcia had been adament about letting the child pick out the rest of his clothes. Reid grabbbed a pair of pajamas and underwear and then returned to the bathroom. Spencer took one of the towels off the shelf and held it by the corners. He remembered his father used to do this. The boy stood and allowed Reid to wrap him in the towel and lift him out of the tub. Spencer hugged the child tightly and set him on his feet, helping him dry off and get dressed.

The boy sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Thank you," he said.

Spencer smiled at his first completed act of parenthood. He felt safe calling that one a victory. "Do you want to watch a movie?" he asked.

The boy nodded and followed Spencer to the living room. He climbed up on the couch and sat there with his hands folded on his lap while Spencer grabbed one of the classic Disney movies donated by Garcia. Once the movie had started, Spencer went and gathered the boy's dirty clothes and the quilt from the bed and put them in the washing machine. Before he returned, he grabbed the teddy bear.

He sat down beside the boy and handed him the toy. The child looked up at Reid before accepting it with a hesitant smile. "I was wondering what your name is," Spencer said.

The boy hugged the teddy bear to his chest and stared ahead at the television. He took a deep breath and then looked back at Spencer. "My name is Mutt," he whispered.

"Mutt?" Spencer repeated. Spencer wasn't exactly fond of the name. "How did you get that name?"

The boy shrugged. "I dunno. 'S what everyone call me."

Spencer nodded. "Well, I'll call you that too then."

Mutt nodded his approval and then hesitantly asked, "What'm I 'sposed t' call you?"

Spencer thought about it before replying. He figured it was way to soon to ask for the title of 'Dad' and in fact, he didn't want to have to ask at all. "You can call me Spencer for now, or whatever you want to."

"Spencer," Mutt repeated slowly, carefully forming each syllable.

Reid smiled. "That's fine," he said. "Are you hungry, Mutt?"

The boy looked down at his stomach uncertainly. "Yeah, but what if I get fat," he said, eyes wide.

Spencer bit back his laughter. Mutt was far from fat, in fact most of the boy's ribs were visible. "You won't get fat."

Mutt seemed uncertain.

Spencer stood and then knelt on the floor in front of the boy. "Why are you worried about that?"

Mutt stared at a spot on the floor, refusing to look at Spencer. "Uhm, 'cause," he whispered. "I don't wanna be fat."

Spencer bit the corner of his mouth. He really didn't know what to do and hoped that he could convince the boy to eat. "You need food to grow and to be healthy. It's my job to make sure you get that. Try to eat at least a little bit, OK?"

Mutt nodded and hid his face behind the teddy bear.

Spencer stood up and went to the kitchen. He wasn't the best cook, but he was fairly certain he could make spaghetti. He cooked the meal and again felt like his home was complete. He heard Mutt giggle a bit at the movie and he started to grin. He was starting to feel confident.

He sprinkled a bit of parmesean cheese on both plates of spaghetti and then carried them to the table. "Mutt," he called. He still didn't like the boy's name, feeling that it was a bit too derogatory.

The boy came and climbed up into one of the chairs. He sat on his legs in order to get a better angle. He took a hold of the fork and managed to coax one noodle into his mouth. Spencer laughed a little to himself and leaned over to cut the noodles up. He still had some learning to do.

They ate together in silence and Mutt ended up finishing his whole plate. He leaned back in the chair and poked his stomach. "I got fatter," he said.

Spencer reached over and patted the boy's stomach. "No, I think you're about the same as you were before."

Fear flashed in Mutt's eyes, but then he smiled and reached over to poke Dr. Reid in the stomach. "So are you," he said.

Spencer started laughing so hard that his eyes watered. Mutt stared at him with one eyebrow cocked. "You're kind of weird," he whispered.

Spencer nodded. "Yeah, I know. I know."

The boy shrugged and returned to watch the rest of the movie while Spencer cleaned up the kitchen. When he finished, he went and found Mutt looking very tired and starting to doze off on the couch. He sat down beside the boy and reached for his book. As he read, he was careful not to move because he noticed that the boy's head was resting on his arm.

Spencer stopped reading and looked down at the boy sleeping beside him. He smiled and again felt that he had made the right decision.

**A/N Be kind, review. If enough people want it, I'll write another chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

Reid woke slowly. His neck ached from the odd position he'd slept in and his arm was asleep. He looked down at his foster son, who was still asleep and the reason that his arm had lost circulation. His cell phone was buzzing which was the reason he'd woken up in the first place. He let it go to voicemail. The team knew that no matter what he was staying home for the next two weeks.

A few seconds after his phone stopped vibrating, it started again. He answered this time, "This is Reid," he said.

"Hey," Garcia said cheerfully. "How was your first night as a papa?"

"Great. Actually…we fell asleep on the couch and my arm is numb because he's laying on it." Reid grinned and glanced down to be sure that Mutt was comfortable.

Garcia cooed into the phone. "I want to meet the little cutie. I'm coming over during my lunch break."

"That's fine, Garcia," Spencer said. "I have a feeling you and Mutt will get along just fine."

"Reid, you sound like a daddy already," she said.

"How?"

"In your voice. I can hear the pride." There was a beep. "Well, duty calls. Have fun today."

Reid pressed the end call button and tried to shift slightly so as not to wake Mutt. His arm was starting to get that tingling, pins and needles feeling. The boy stirred and woke up, looking around panicked for a moment before calming down when he realized there was no danger.

"Good morning," Spencer said.

Mutt rubbed the sleep from his eyes and licked his lips a few times. "G'morning," he replied through a yawn.

Spencer flexed his hand a bit and tried to restore feeling. "Would you like to go out to get breakfast?"

Mutt nodded his head and slid off the couch. He grabbed his teddy bear and held it by one paw as he waited for Spencer to stretch out all the knots that had formed while he'd slept on the couch. Reid stood and led the way to Mutt's room. He showed the boy where all his clothes were stored and left him to dress himself.

Reid took a quick shower and dressed a bit more casually than normal, opting not to wear a tie with his button down shirt. He returned to find Mutt still struggling to get dressed. The boy had put on a pair of jeans that Reid remembered marveling at in the store. It always struck him as fascinating how remarkably small children were. At the time, he hadn't been able to imagine someone small enough to wear those clothes living with him. After just one night, Reid knew he would have a difficult time adjusting if the boy ever had to leave.

Mutt's struggle came from the tiny buttons on his shirt. Spencer noticed that it was almost like a miniature of the shirt he was wearing. That had been completely unintentional, but Spencer liked it. He knelt in front of Mutt and helped him with the buttons and then watched as the boy put on his tennis shoes.

::::::::::::::::::::

Mutt had never been to a restaurant before and he was a little nervous at first. He didn't want Spencer to know that he didn't know what to do though.

A smiling woman greeted them when they went inside. "Table or booth?" she asked.

Mutt started to hide behind Spencer a bit. He didn't know the difference.

"Booth, please," Spencer replied.

They followed the lady and Spencer helped Mutt sit up on one of the padded benches. Mutt started to swing his legs and color with the crayons the lady had given him. He wasn't so nervous anymore.

A different lady came and asked what they wanted to drink. Spencer asked for coffee. Mutt got nervous and had to repeat his request for apple juice three times. Finally, the lady heard him and he returned to his coloring. When she came back, she gave them their drinks and asked, "What can I get you?"

Mutt's eyes got wide. He didn't know he was supposed to be choosing anything. He felt his face getting red. He didn't want to cry in front of Spencer and show how stupid he was. He folded his arms and hid his face.

"Could we have a few more minutes?" Spencer asked.

The lady nodded and walked away.

After a few seconds, Mutt peaked up to see Spencer looking at him. "What's wrong?" Spencer asked.

Mutt couldn't make words come out. He was ashamed for being so embarrassed. Spencer stood up and Mutt scooted into the corner, covering his face. He knew he deserved to be punished.

Spencer put his hand on Mutt's back, but Mutt quickly realized it wasn't to hurt him. He looked up at the adult.

"Do you need help reading your choices?" Spencer asked.

Mutt nodded. He was afraid to admit that he couldn't read at all. He'd seen Spencer pick up a book and flip through all the pages. Spencer was smart and would probably hate him for not knowing how to read. Spencer took the piece of paper and flipped it over to the side that had pictures of food. Mutt scooted closer to the wall.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked.

"I can't," Mutt said.

"What?"

"I can't read," Mutt whispered. He closed his eyes and waited for the blow that never came.

"That's alright, Mutt. No one ever taught you."

Mutt was surprised. That hadn't been what he expected at all.

"Look…" Spencer said. "I know you came from a very bad place where people hurt you, but I need you to understand that you aren't ever going back there. I'm trying to make it so that you can stay with me. You don't need to be afraid. I'm going to make sure that nothing ever hurts you again."

Mutt let his guard down and scooted closer to Spencer. The man put his arm around the boy and read out each menu choice to him. When the waitress returned, Mutt was able to confidently say that he wanted a pancake.

"Uhm, Spencer?" Mutt said. "You mean that?"

"Yes, I mean it," Spencer replied.

::::::::::::::::::

Spencer noticed that Mutt seemed much more cheerful for the rest of their breakfast. The child had the waitress charmed with his unfailing good manners and adorable smile. Spencer was proud.

As they were leaving, the boy tugged at Spencer's sleeve. "Can I keep these colors?" he asked, wrapping his little fist around the yellow, red, and blue crayons.

Spencer smiled and nodded. "You can keep them if you want to. Do you like coloring?"

Mutt nodded.

"Alright, then let's go to the store and get more crayons for you and coloring book."

Mutt grabbed Spencer's sleeve again and started to pull him toward the door. The boy stopped suddenly and looked up at Spencer, as if afraid his behavior had been out of line. Spencer responded by enveloping the boy's small hand in his own and dropping a few bills on the table before turning to leave.

"Your son is adorable," the waitress said as the pair passed her.

Spencer smiled and nodded. His intellectual side demanded for a moment that he correct her, but he stopped himself. There was nothing to correct. Mutt was his son as far as Spencer was concerned.

:::::::::::::::::::::

Penelope fixed the bow that was attempting to fall out of her hair as she walked up to Reid's front door. She knocked and stood, still fussing with her hair as she waited for him to answer.

"Hey," Reid said as he swung the door open. His eyes widened at the abundance of shopping bags in Penelope's arms.

"I couldn't resist," she said. "I kind of looked at his file. I fully intend to spoil him until all the sadness is squeezed out of him."

Reid gave her a half smile and led the way inside. "My friend Penelope that I told you about is here."

The four-year-old looked up from his coloring project and gave Penelope a small, heart-tugging smile. "Thank you for my room," he said softly and then returned to coloring. He swung his legs under the table.

"I brought you some more awesome things," Penelope said.

"Thank you, uhm…" The boy paused. "P…p…Loopy?"

Penelope giggled at the nickname she'd just been given. "I like it."

Mutt carefully returned his crayon to the 64 pack on the table, grabbed his teddy bear, and slid off of the chair. He stood patiently behind Reid's leg, looking at Penelope and waiting. She had to fight not to recall the images she had seen of bruises on that cute little face and even worse, the videos that had popped up during her digging. She'd done all she could to corrupt the files, so that any pervert who tried to access them found himself with a burnt hard drive and a lot of explaining to do.

She dropped the bags in the center of the room and knelt down next to them, pulling out a large green and purple monster truck. Mutt sat away from her a slight distance and carefully set down his teddy bear before reaching out for the truck. He gave it an experimental push and then smiled when it lit up.

Reid sat at the edge of the bed and observed, the pride in his eyes very clear. Penelope gave him a knowing look from behind her glasses and smiled. Her attention returned to Mutt, who was delighted with the truck.

Penelope pulled out her next gift, a large green plastic dinosaur with a moveable jaw. Mutt abandoned the truck to play with the dinosaur, making it open and close its mouth.

With each new toy, Mutt moved closer to Penelope and soon he was close enough that she couldn't resist hugging him. He was quick to return and she let out an audible "Aww!" at the feeling of his little arms around her neck and his fine blond hair against her cheek.

She realized with disappointment that her time was up and she needed to get back before anyone noticed one of the techies had escaped. "Bye, little cutie," she said, running her fingers through that soft hair.

"Bye, Loopy. Thank you," Mutt said with a big smile.

::::::::::::::::::::::

Spencer saw Penelope to the door and then returned to watch Mutt play. "Do you like it here?" he asked.

Mutt nodded enthusiastically. "Uh-huh, I like it."

"I'm going to make you some lunch, alright? You can stay here and play."

"I wanna go color," Mutt said, dropping the toys, grabbing his teddy bear, and running over to Spencer. The child stumbled a little and Spencer reached out to catch him without thinking. Mutt started to apologize, but Spencer stopped him.

"It's my job," he said as he knelt down to be on the child's level. "Don't be afraid here. This is a safe place."

Mutt nodded and hugged Spencer around the neck. Spencer smiled at the feeling of someone holding on to him so tightly. He lifted Mutt up with him as he stood and carried the boy to the kitchen. He felt like he could get used to that.

"Do you want me to show you how to write your name so you can practice while I cook?" Spencer asked. Mutt nodded and watched closely as Spencer made the letters, taking care to make them large and legible. "I have a question for you," he said after he'd finished.

"Huh?" Mutt replied.

"Do you like your name? If you'd like a different one we can see about changing it."

"Why I got to change my name for?" Mutt said with a frown.

"You don't have to," Spencer said. He thought for a moment. "Mutt is a word people use for dogs. I don't know if you knew that. I don't think you're a dog so if you want a different name, that's alright."

Mutt shrugged. "I think it's a good enough name for me. I had this name a long time and no one ever thought I was a dog before so maybe they don't know."

"Are you sure?"

Mutt nodded and began to practice writing his name.

Spencer sighed and walked away, hoping that the boy wouldn't be made fun of when he started school.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

After he ate less than half of his lunch, Mutt fell asleep on his coloring book. Spencer saw that the boy had gotten good at writing his name. So good in fact that his latest attempts looked nearly identical to the example he'd been given. Spencer carefully wrapped his arms around the child, knowing he was probably going to get a lot stronger if he had to carry the boy around. Mutt mumbled a little in his sleep and wrapped his arms tightly around Spencer.

"Bear," Mutt whispered.

Spencer balanced the boy on one arm and reached down for the toy. Mutt hugged it close to him and snuggled close to Spencer. The profiler carried the sleeping boy to the child's bedroom, carefully stepping over the pile of toys and gently laying the boy on his bed.

Mutt yawned and licked his lips. Spencer backed toward the doorway, but was still fascinated by his foster son. He'd never thought he would ever care about someone so much.

After a while he managed to convince himself to back away and went to write a letter to his mother. He'd already told her about his plans to take the child in and now he was writing about his first experiences with parenthood.

:::::::::::::::::::

Mutt was jolted awake by the sound of loud booming. He whimpered and hid behind his teddy bear and it took a moment for him to realize that it was someone knocking on the door. He stood in the hallway and waited for Spencer to come through before following after him.

"Hey, Morgan, I wasn't expecting you," Spencer said.

"Well, Penelope was going on and on about you and your new kid, so I thought I'd stop by." Morgan leaned down to Mutt's level. "Hello there, little guy."

Mutt waved nervously and tried to conceal himself behind Spencer. He didn't know this man and he was scared. He didn't want to be scared. Spencer had told him he was safe here, but it was habit to be afraid.

Spencer twisted around and put his hand on Mutt's shoulder. "It's alright. This is my friend Derek. We work together."

"Catchin' bad guys?"

Spencer nodded. "That's right. You can trust him."

Mutt shuffled out of hiding. Spencer's friend was smiling and Mutt started to smile too without realizing it. The man shook the child's hand and said, "Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

"Mutt," the child whispered shyly, but still smiling.

"Unique name," Derek Morgan said.

Spencer shrugged. "Well, come in. Mutt can show you all the stuff Garcia brought."

Mutt nodded and raced off to his room.

::::::::::::::::

"Cute kid," Morgan said with a smile.

"Yeah, he really is."

"How are you handling it? It's a big change."

Spencer hooked his thumbs in his pocket. "Aside from the paralyzing fear that I'll make a mistake, I'm loving every second."

"Being scared is alright," Morgan said. "It means you care."

Spencer shrugged. "He seems so delicate."

"He's a lot stronger than you realize," Morgan said.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N I'd like to warn (hopefully without giving too much away) that this is an emotional chapter.**

Spencer had been preparing himself for this day starting a week ago. Rationally he was ready, but emotionally he was a wreck. His two weeks of time off was up and the next morning he would be back to work.

He rolled over and looked at the clock. His alarm would be going off in three hours and he knew he needed to get some rest, but instead he got out of bed for the tenth time that night and checked on Mutt.

The four-year-old was cocooned in his quilt, nothing but a bit of blond hair and one ear of a teddy bear visible. Spencer sighed, knowing that each time he went to check on the boy was only going to make leaving that morning harder.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

Mutt was just as nervous about spending the day with the nanny lady, but he didn't say anything. He was trying to hide how scared he was, knowing that Spencer needed him to be strong. Spencer had to go fight the bad guys and Mutt had to be good while he was gone.

Mutt ate his oatmeal slowly while Spencer got ready. The child was watching his guardian carefully and as soon as the adult left the room he slid out of his chair and grabbed the picture he had colored from where it was hidden among the art supplies. Mutt had been extra careful while coloring this particular picture. It was a yellow dog, like the ones on TV. Mutt had recently decided he wanted a yellow dog and his plan was to hide the picture in Spencer's bag. That way, when Spencer saw how nice the picture was, he might want a dog too.

Mutt quickly tucked the picture in with other papers and climbed back to his spot in front of his oatmeal and did his best to hide his smile. He just knew his plan was going to work.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

Reid was fumbling to get a proper knot in his tie while refilling Mutt's cup of apple juice when the nanny arrived. Even though getting himself ready to go and taking care of Mutt was proving to be a bit more challenging than he'd anticipated, he was still a bit disappointed. With the nanny there, he no longer had a reason to linger. Ms. Constance was an older African American woman with a spotless record and rave reviews from every family that had employed her.

He let her in and gave her the quick tour. As the tour drew to a close, he found himself rambling a bit. "He does well going to the bathroom on his own and he doesn't need much help getting dress. Except with buttons, he still has trouble with buttons. Please make sure he eats, sometimes he decides he doesn't want to. He gets very bad nightmares so please make sure his night light is on when he goes to bed and if he wakes up scared it helps to rub his back. If he's still having trouble sleeping, my contact information is on the refrigerator door. Call me for any reason, it doesn't matter."

Ms. Constance gave Reid a knowing smile. "Your boy is in good hands, Dr. Reid. You go on and do your work, he'll be here safe when you get back."

Spencer nodded and thanked the woman. She went to set her bags Spencer's room, where she would be staying until Reid had time to make room in his home library for a staff bedroom.

Mutt slid out of his chair and ran to hug Reid as he was grabbing his messenger bag and coat. Spencer knelt down and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth that always seemed to be emanating from Mutt's little body.

"How long will you be gone?" Mutt asked, his voice wavering a bit.

"I don't know, Mutt. Sometimes I have to travel and I might be gone for a few days. I'll call you to say good night if that happens. I promise I'll always come back."

Mutt gave Spencer another tight squeeze and they reluctantly parted.

::::::::::::::::::::::

Prentiss broke into a wide smile when Reid walked into the office. "Look at you, Reid," she said, laughing a bit as she pointed out the oatmeal smudge on his shoulder. "You look like you haven't slept at all."

"I'm starting to believe I had more separation anxiety than he did," Reid joked as he set his bag on his desk and wiped at the stain with a Kleenex.

"It always seems to work out that way," Hotch said as he passed them by on his way up to his office. "Glad to have you back, Reid."

Spencer pulled the files from his bag and one piece of paper fluttered to the ground. He picked it up and beamed at the picture of a dog colored yellow with a blue collar. He could tell that Mutt had spent a lot of time trying to color in the lines. At the bottom of the paper was a scrawled message 'Pleez' with an arrow pointing up to the dog. Spencer laughed and stared at the picture for a while before placing it in a frame, covering up his diploma for his B.A. in Sociology. Reid smiled at the picture again and then sighed as he headed to the break room for a cup of coffee. The coffee in the pot was lukewarm at best so he put it in the microwave for a short amount of time.

"Spence," J.J. said, her voice serious.

No further words were needed. Reid followed J.J. to the bullpen and tried to change his mindset from that of new father to profiler.

"For the past week, there have been a series of unusual murders in the area," J.J. began. "While there is no tangible link between the victims, local authorities are alarmed that the gruesome nature of the crimes and the very public dump sites." She turned and the image of a man in his early thirties in a business suit appeared on the monitor behind her. "This is Steven O'Connor. He's thirty-four and was last seen alive by his coworkers two weeks ago."

Prentiss dropped the papers in her hand and interrupted J.J.'s pitch. "I know him. I went on a few dates with him six months ago," she said.

The team exchanged looks and J.J. continued her presentation with a worried look on her face. "He was found last Monday with two bullet wounds and fourteen stab wounds, all to the abdominal area."

Prentiss squinted at the scene. "Is that Antonio's?"

J.J. nodded. "His body was located in the shrubbery outside of the restaurant."

"That's the place he took me on our first date," Prentiss said.

The apprehensive feeling in the room increased as J.J. moved on to the next victim. "Our second victim is a woman, Louisa Montoya, forty-nine. She was a food vendor-"

"Montoya's Tacos," Derek said in a low voice. "I go there every Tuesday for breakfast tacos before work."

No one voiced what they were all thinking and there was a blanket of silence before J.J. went on.

"She was found inside her food stand Wednesday, stabbed and raped. Cause of death was asphyxiation by the strings of her own apron.." J.J. pressed the button on the remote in her hand and before she could speak, Hotch revealed the identity of the third victim.

"That's Russell Smith, Jack's Little League baseball coach from last year," Hotch said, his expression stony and serious.

J.J. closed her eyes tightly and then continued. "He was found Thursday on the baseball diamond at Penncro Recreational Complex. Cause of death was blunt force trauma, though postmortem stab wounds are present. The weapon is believed to be a baseball bat." She changed the picture quickly. "Also found on Thursday was Richard Levy, fifty-three. He was shot twice in the head at close range, stabbed in the torso, and then hung from a street lamp outside of his law office."

Rossi squinted at the picture and then pinched the bridge of his nose. "That was my second wife's attorney."

They all looked around as J.J. prepared to reveal the next victim.

"The most recent victim was found on Saturday. Marci Holmes, twenty-one. She was a barista at Sweet Nectar coffee shop. She was stabbed to death and raped. Her body was dumped on the street in front of the shop she worked at."

Morgan sighed. "I think Sweet Nectar is Garcia's favorite spot."

There was a pause before Reid spoke up only to vocalize what they were all thinking. "I think its safe to say that each murder was committed to get our attention. The UnSub chose victims we all knew and dumped the bodies in places that had some sort of significance to us."

"That means he must have extensive knowledge of us. He targeted people we may not have seen in years, but would remember," Prentiss added.

"He doesn't seem to have a particular pattern for his kill and is able to dump the bodies in very public places without being discovered. He must be somehow inconspicuous and have a vehicle large enough to transport the bodies," Morgan said.

"Also, notice how each kill has an element of stabbing. The women were raped and all the victims were stabbed," Reid said.

Rossi nodded. "That could tell us a bit about his motivation. He may, in a way, be trying to penetrate through the bonds we have as colleagues. He's trying to get to us."

::::::::::::::::::::

Esther Constance slowly rose from the couch when there was a knock on the door. The young boy was nearly asleep on the floor, though she could see how with that loud TV going.

She peered through the peep hole and opened the door for the UPS man. "Good morning," she said with a smile.

"I have a package for Dr. Spencer Reid," the delivery man said. "I must give it specifically to him."

"He isn't home right now," Ms. Constance said.

"I have to give him this package," the man insisted.

Esther wondered if the boy was dim. "He isn't here," she repeated.

The man was now shoving past her. "Sir, there is a child in this home. Now, I told you he isn't here. Go on your way," she said.

The man threw down the package and drew out a knife.

::::::::::::::::::::

Penelope rushed into the room, breaking Reid's focus on the map. A geographical profile was useless, but they were finding themselves totally and completely stuck.

"J.J." Penelope said in a worried whisper. "Dr. Meadows was found dead this morning by her first appointment."

J.J. sunk down into the nearest chair. "Oh…she's Henry's pediatrician." The blond woman looked as if she might faint.

Reid shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was the last one remaining that hadn't been linked to a murder and therefore he knew he was next. He moved away from the map and sat at his desk, racking his brain for people in the area that needed to be warned.

He picked up the phone and called Rose Crispin, the caseworker that had helped him gain custody of Mutt. He was relieved to hear that she was fine. His relief was short lived as he saw two local policemen enter the BAU headquarters. He sprung to his feet and rushed over to them.

"Are you Dr. Spencer Reid?" the older and more dominant of the two asked.

Reid nodded. His throat was dry. "Yes," he managed to say.

"An elderly woman was found stabbed to death just now at your home."

Reid felt his legs go weak and he crashed back into Morgan. "The nanny…" Reid whispered. "My son, where is he?"

The officers exchanged looks. "No child was found at the scene."

::::::::::::::::::::::::

Garcia pulled Reid away from his map. He'd been staring at that thing for hours, as if hoping to find a solution there. "Reid, you need to rest," she said softly. "I have some broccoli cheddar soup I'd be willing to split with you."

Reid shook his head. His eyes were bloodshot and the dark circles were more vivid than usual. "I told him he was safe," Reid admitted.

Garcia felt the tears come on and did her best to hold them back. "We'll find your baby, don't worry."

::::::::::::::::::

Hotch sat across the table from the only one of Reid's neighbors that had been home during the attack. She was a middle aged woman, still in her exercise clothes from that morning.

"Ma'am, please, do your best to remember. Any mundane detail could make or break this case," he said professionally.

The woman leaned on the table. "Is it true? Is there a little boy missing?"

"Please, ma'am, focus on remembering."

The witness massaged her temples. "All I remember is a UPS truck sometime this morning. I might be mixed up though, I see those trucks all the time."

:::::::::::::::::

Mutt found that fear had left him speechless. The back of the truck was dark and loud. Tears were streaming down his face, but he remained unable to make a sound.

He wondered what would happen to him. He'd seen all the blood and was afraid. He remembered the deaths of all the children, just like him. Except not him. He was the one who didn't deserve to live, but he always saw the blood of the ones who did. He hoped that Spencer wouldn't be mad at him for the nanny lady dying. He really hadn't known. He'd just been watching his movie like he was supposed to. He hadn't done anything wrong.

The truck came to a stop and Mutt scrambled to try to hid in the furthest corner from the door as light slowly flooded the compartment. "No," he whispered.

The man grabbed him by the shoulder roughly and Mutt started whimper. A big hand covered his mouth so hard that it hurt. He felt his shorts go down and started screaming long before the man ever touched him. As he sobbed, he tried to ignore what was happening to him. He thought of Spencer coming to stop this bad guy. And Spencer would have a yellow dog. And the bad guy would go to jail. And Mutt would get to keep the yellow dog.

Inventing the story distracted Mutt enough that soon the worst of it was over and he'd hardly even felt how bad it hurt.

:::::::::::::::::::::

"Garcia," Hotch said as he purposefully walked into the room. "I know we're clutching at straws here, but my witness just talked about a UPS truck."

Prentiss perked up. "I think one of those trucks was mentioned by the woman that discovered the pediatrician."

Garcia raced to her computer, her fingers flying over the keyboard before she had even settled into her seat. "What I'm hoping to do here is hack their fancy new GPS system that lets you trace your package. Essentially, it also allows them and now me to track to movements of every truck." A map with a jumbled mess of lines appeared on the screen. She pounded out a few more key strokes. "I'm running this map against the locations that the bodies were found and…" The computer beeped as it highlighted one route. "There's our guy."

Hotch rushed from the room, matched stride for stride by Reid with Prentiss trailing behind. He called the team to prepare.

"Reid, no," Hotch said, stopping the young profiler from suiting up in his Kevlar vest. "You're too emotionally involved. Rossi will stay here with you. The two of you need to complete the profile."

Reid gave Hotch a look that clearly told him how he felt about being left behind. "Bring him back," Reid said as Hotch, Morgan, and Prentiss led the team out the doors.

::::::::::::::::::

Rossi and Reid stood behind Garcia, careful not to leer too much over her shoulders. "The driver of this truck is Rick Sanders," she said.

"I recognize him," Rossi said. "He sometimes delivers things here."

"He spent a lot of time around us and we never even noticed him," Reid added, determined to do his best to contribute.

Garcia pulled up more files. "His wife of ten years filed for divorce last spring," she said.

"That makes sense. She was a young woman and probably expected a more glamorous lifestyle than a delivery man could provide. Our UnSub must have suffered a break from reality. He possibly fantasized that he was part of the team, that delivering packages to us was his contribution."

"But of course, that's not a remarkable contribution," Reid said. "He must have felt insulted that we didn't invite him into our inner circle."

"It says here that he was given a pink slip last week," Garcia added.

"That was the last straw," Reid said. "He was losing his menial job and still hadn't been accepted by us. He decided to force his way in."

The phone in Garcia's office chirped. She pressed the speaker button and said, "Speak."

"Tell Reid we got him," Morgan said.

:::::::::::::::::::::

Reid stood anxiously by his desk and watched the doors. Morgan had informed them that Mutt was being looked at by paramedics in the ambulance on the way to headquarters.

The confrontation had gone quickly, Sanders panicked as soon as he saw law enforcement. Somehow in the fray, the UnSub had received a gunshot wound to the ankle, but no one was very interested in finding the culprit.

Reid sat down in his chair only to bolt upright the moment he saw Morgan appear with Mutt in his arms. Mutt squirmed his way out of Morgan's grip and, despite a pronounced limp, rain into Spencer's arms.

Spencer lifted the boy and held him, scanning him for any obvious signs of injury. Physically, the boy was unharmed compared to what could have happened, but Spencer knew that there would be severe repercussions to the boy's emotional state. At the moment though, all that mattered was that Reid had his son back.

::::::::::::::::::

Mutt was crying softly into Spencer's shoulder and refused to let go for nearly an hour. His fingers gathered as much of Spencer's shirt as he could hold. He never wanted to be let go again, he thought. He was so relieved that Spencer's friends had come to save him. He knew that Spencer had sent them.

Spencer was rubbing Mutt's back and it felt nice, especially in contrast to what the bad man had done. Mutt hoped this would be the last time anyone hurt him, but he dreaded being wrong. He knew now, though, that whenever the bad men came, Spencer and his friends would come to the rescue.

"Mutt, you need to tell one of my friends what happened before you forget," Spencer said softly for the second time.

"Why can't I jus' tell you?" Mutt asked softly.

"Because the judges know that I don't like that man that took you and if I write down your story, they might think I made it up."

"You wouldn' do that," Mutt said, indignation clear though is voice was hoarse.

"I know, but we have to follow the rules so everything is fair," Spencer said. "After you tell your story, we can go to a nice hotel and have them bring us food right there in the room."

Mutt sniffled. "Daddy, can you be there with me?"

::::::::::::::::::

Spencer's heart nearly stopped when Mutt called him that. He held the boy tightly and struggled to mask his strong emotional reaction. "I can."

Spencer carried Mutt to J.J.'s office and somehow managed to hold his emotions in check as Mutt told a story that began with, "The bad man hurt me…"


	4. Chapter 4

Rose knocked on the hotel room door and sighed. She hated to do this. She wished there was another way, but she knew that it was in everyone's best interest if she followed procedure, no matter how wrong it felt.

Dr. Reid answered the door and Rose could tell the profiler knew exactly why she was there.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice cracking a bit. "I have to…"

Dr. Reid nodded and stepped aside, allowing her to walk in but refusing to look at her. Mutt was asleep, wrapped up in what appeared to be one of Dr. Reid's jackets. Rose couldn't bear to wake him up. She'd always felt that her job was for the greater good, but now she wasn't so sure. She'd been working with Mutt since he was rescued and she'd never seen the boy act so happy.

Dr. Reid must have sensed her hesitance because he stepped forward and woke the boy with a light kiss on the forehead.

Mutt yawned and rubbed his ear. "Spencer?" he said, his little voice barely audible.

"Mutt, Rose is here for you. Do you remember what we talked about? How I told you that we're going to have to be strong now?"

Mutt's green eyes grew wide and filled with tears that started to flow instantly. "I don't wanna be strong. I wanna be here."

Dr. Reid closed his eyes for a moment. "I promise I'll do everything I can."

"I don't want to," the boy said with a ragged sob as he latched on to Dr. Reid's neck. Dr. Reid stood, the boy still clinging to him. "No, no, no," Mutt whispered over and over again. "No!" he shouted and then started to cough.

Dr. Reid held the boy and rubbed his back, attempting to comfort the child. "I don't want you to have to go either," Dr. Reid whispered to the boy.

Rose wiped away the tear that had managed to escape onto her cheek and dug her fingernails into her palm. This was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. "We need to go now, Mutt," she said, determination lacking in her voice.

"I want to stay here," Mutt pleaded. Dr. Reid attempted to put the boy down, but the child refused. "No!"

Rose put her hand on Mutt's shoulder and the boy jerked away from her, clinging even tighter to Dr. Reid. "I really don't want to have to call in the police. That won't help at all. I don't want anything to separate you two and I'll do my best to make sure this is only temporary. I'm going to call in every favor I can."

Dr. Reid took Mutt's chin in his hand and looked into the boy's eyes. "I promise I'll get you back."

Mutt nodded and slowly let go of Dr. Reid. He balled his hands up into little fists that he shoved into his pockets, making a point to refuse to allow Rose to hold his hand. He drug his feet as he walked out into the hallway. Rose followed after him, her shoulders slumped. She turned to face Dr. Reid. "I'm so sorry…" she began, but couldn't finish. She turned away slowly and led Mutt away.

::::::::::::::::::

Watching Mutt leave was the single hardest thing Spencer had ever had to do. He stood staring at the hallway that had been empty for a while. He didn't want to turn back around and see the half eaten plate of chicken nuggets, the drawings of dogs on hotel stationary with the boy's name scrawled out at the bottom of each page, the jacket that Mutt had decided was better than blankets because, as he said, "It's like hugs from clothes."

Eventually he did have to turn back to the empty room and see the signs of the child that should have been there.

::::::::::::::::::

Rossi explained the details of Sanders' profile to the investigator from family services, reiterating over and over again that there was nothing Reid could have done and in fact the young man's contributions had prevented any further harm from befalling the child.

"This was a freak occurrence and I'm willing to bet my reputation that it will never happen again," Rossi concluded.

:::::::::::::::::

"I've worked with the child from the time his case was opened," Rose said to her superior, who was now running the investigation. "That boy has never trusted anyone so much. Sir, if you could have seen what I saw when I had to take the boy into our custody…he did not want to leave Dr. Reid. Separating the child from that man would be the absolute opposite of what we intend to do in this field."

::::::::::::::::

The investigator gave Dr. Reid a scrutinizing glare before asking, "Were you aware that the boy was in any danger?"

"I had no idea," Dr. Reid said. "This UnSub was fast and unpredictable in his attacks."

"Do you often deal with criminals this volatile?"

"I profile serial killers," Dr. Reid said in a tone that made the investigator feel as if his intelligence was being insulted.

"How could you expose a child to your dangerous life?" the investigator spat.

Dr. Reid narrowed his eyes. "Two of my colleagues have children that are perfectly healthy and happy. What happened was not something that I could predict or prevent, but I've learned from it and I'll do everything I can to protect Mutt. I care for him and I want what's best for him. If that wasn't me, I could accept that, but we both know that I am."

:::::::::::::

Mutt refused to leave his bed and the investigator was forced to get a statement from the child while standing in one of the dormitory rooms of a temporary shelter for boys.

"Why don't you want to leave your bed?" the investigator asked.

"I'm sad," the boy whispered.

"Why is that?"

"I don't get to see Spencer. Please let me go back. Please? I'll be good." The boy sat up in his bed and wiped his tears onto the back of his arm. "Please say I can go back."

::::::::::::::::::

As they filed into the court room, Mutt tried to run to Spencer, but an older woman with harsh blue eyes wouldn't let him. He whimpered and sat down on the bench as he was instructed. Spencer turned and gave him a small smile. Mutt hoped that meant good news.

The judge entered and Mutt started to squirm in his seat. The grown ups were talking about things he didn't understand or care about. All he knew was that Spencer was right there and he didn't understand why he couldn't go get a hug and maybe ask if they were going to get a dog.

::::::::::::::::::

Judge Harris watched the boy fidgeting in his seat and eventually spoke about it. "Young man, is there a problem?"

The boy's eyes were wide and his mouth dropped open. He looked as if he were going to cry before he finally found his voice. "I want to go with Spencer. Please? Mister judge guy, I don't understand because I done said I want to go with him and I don't wanna sit here anymore I want to sit by him. I just want to go home and also I want a dog. Please?"

The judge's stony expression broke when the boy asked for a dog. He laughed and slapped his hand to his face. The lawyers and social workers looked at each other in disbelief. Judge Harris shook his head as his laughter subsided.. "My decision is made. Dr. Reid is a suitable guardian for the child." He banged the gavel to make the ruling official.

:::::::::::::::

Spencer caught the boy who all but leapt off the bench and into his arms. He held the child tightly, feeling like a boulder was off his chest now that he had Mutt back. He was glad the process had been sped up so much. The thought of facing another night without the boy was too much to bear. He closed his eyes and held the boy for a long time, not noticing the people standing around him.

"Spencer, why is Loopy here?" Mutt whispered.

Reid turned around and found the entire team smiling at him. He could have sworn Garcia and J.J. were even in tears. He stood thanked them all, "I know that you guys vouched for me."

Mutt rubbed his ear and tugged on Spencer's sleeve. He held his arms open and Spencer picked him up quickly. The boy laid his head on Spencer's shoulder and smiled, giving a small wave to the team.

"We need to celebrate," Morgan declared.

::::::::::::::::

Spencer pointed to the letters of each choice as Mutt tried to remember what it was. "Uhm…S?" Mutt said, rubbing his ear.

"That's right. You know it, just don't worry. Its alright to be wrong," he said. He saw the looks the others exchanged and knew that none of them had expected him to be so patient. The truth was, he was a little surprised at it himself.

Mutt stared at the next letter, rubbing his ear so hard it turned red.

"Mutt, what's wrong?" Spencer asked.

Mutt sighed. "My ear hurts, Spencer," he said.

Spencer instinctually felt the child's forehead. "You're a bit warm," Spencer said.

J.J. looked concerned. "It could be an ear infection. I could give you the numbers of the pediatricians Dr. Meadows' office recommends."

:::::::::::::::::::

Reid called around first thing in the morning and was able to get an appointment for that afternoon with a Dr. Adele. About an hour before the appointment, Mutt was sobbing and clutching at the side of his ear. When Spencer finally got a look, he saw the eardrum had ruptured. He nearly panicked at the sight and, not knowing what to do, he rushed Mutt over to the doctor's office after giving him a dose of children's aspirin.

They sat in the waiting room. Mutt wasn't interested in any of the toys and instead crawled into Spencer's lap.

It turned out that arriving early had done nothing to get them in to see the doctor any earlier. "Reid," the nurse called. She was a young looking woman with black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, revealing the glinting silver bar in her right ear. Her hair swished back and forth as she led them down the hallway. Reid was surprised when she took a white lab coat off a hook and put it on over her pink scrub top. She turned to them and smiled, "Hi, I'm Dr. Ava Adele. I understand someone has an earache."

Mutt looked at the doctors smiling face and let out a soft groan as he moved his hand. She made a sympathetic sound. "Ouch, little guy. That looks like it hurts."

"It does," Mutt said softly.

The doctor nodded. "Well, first let's see how big you are, little man. Hop on the scale."

Reid set his son down and the doctor read the digital display. She nodded and made a note. "Alright, now stand right here against this wall and let's measure you."

Mutt followed instructions and Reid smiled at him to let him know he was doing a good job. Dr. Adele made another note and then had Mutt sit in a chair while she checked his vitals.

"Am I too fat?" Mutt asked.

Dr. Adele put her finger on her chin and looked off to the side as if she were thinking. "Hmm." She put her hand on his side and lightly tickled, sending him into fits of laughter. "Nope, you're not fat at all. Actually, you're a little too tiny. What's your favorite food?"

"I like chicken nuggets," Mutt said shyly.

"Well, tell your dad to get you a bunch of those for dinner. I want you to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables too, so you can grow up big and strong."

"I'm gonna be an FBI like Spencer," Mutt said excitedly.

Dr. Reid grinned at his foster son and patted the boy on the shoulder. The pediatrician smiled at Spencer and mouthed the word, "Cute."

She stood and led them to an exam room. Spencer lifted Mutt up onto the table. Dr. Adele examined Mutt's ear and then said, "Just as I thought. You've got dinosaurs in there."

Mutt giggled in delight and kicked his legs. "You're funny," he said, burying his face in Spencer's side.

Dr. Adele smiled and nodded. "Glad you think so," she said. "I'm going to right you a prescription and it's important that you take it every day and don't miss any. Can you do that?"

Mutt nodded.

"Alright, well, let's get you a sticker and get you to those chicken nuggets."

Spencer helped Mutt off the table and Mutt rushed to grab the corner of Dr. Adele's lab coat. "Do you have any dog stickers?" he asked in a very serious tone.

"I think so," Dr. Adele said. "Let's go check."

Dr. Adele ended up finding the sticker Mutt wanted, plus a lollipop. Spencer had a feeling it wasn't going to be difficult to get Mutt to the doctor.

::::::::::::::

"I like her," Mutt said once they were in the car.

"I'm glad. She is very nice," Spencer replied.

"I bet she has a dog. You should make her your wife so we can find out," Mutt said.

Spencer cracked up laughing, laying his forehead on the steering wheel until he got over it. "How about I take you to the animal shelter tomorrow? That way I don't have to get married for you to have a dog to play with."

Mutt nodded and bounced in his seat. Then he paused. "You could still marry her if you want to," he said, and then he resumed his celebration.


	5. Chapter 5

The moment Spencer stepped into the animal shelter, the dogs started barking and he started to wonder if they were going to find a dog that didn't hate him. It seemed that animals always disliked him, as well as children, but he had hoped that since Mutt seemed to be fine with him, animals would be too. Mutt was ecstatic, jumping up and down while holding on to Spencer's sleeve. He was so excited that he stumbled backward a little. Spencer stopped the boy from falling and the boy resumed bouncing chanting quietly, "Dog, dog, dog!"

"Let's look around," Spencer said.

Mutt ran to the nearest cage and stuck his hand through the bars. "Come here, dog, so I can pet you," he called.

The dog ignored the boy and instead growled at Spencer. "Mutt, I don't know if we're going to be able to find a dog that likes me."

Mutt pulled his hand back and frowned. "It's OK, that one isn't the right one anyway. Don't be sad, Spencer." He patted Spencer on the back of the hand and gave him a hug.

Reid smiled and took the child by the hand. The next three dogs they looked at refused to come anywhere near them.

A volunteer passed by them, a bag of dog food in hand. "We're gonna get a dog!" Mutt shouted, swaying a little from excitement.

The animal shelter volunteer laughed and reached into her pocket, handing Mutt a few bone shaped biscuits to feed to the dogs. "Have you found one you like yet?"

Mutt shook his head. "None of the dogs like my daddy."

Spencer shrugged. "I have that effect on animals."

The teenager smiled. "There's one in the back corner that could really use a good home."

Mutt stuffed the dog biscuits into his pocket and pulled Spencer along to the enclosure where an older yellow dog with wise brown eyes looked up at them. The dog studied them for a while, then stood and plodded over to accept the treat that Mutt was offering. Mutt giggled at the dog's tongue on his hand. He reached further inside the pen and pet the dog on the head.

"We have a little area outside for you to get to know each other," an elderly man in a yellow volunteer's shirt said, grabbing his keys. He hooked a leash onto the dog's collar and started to lead him toward a door.

Mutt started jumping again and pulled Spencer behind him. "I want that dog! Please, can we get that dog!"

The dog looked up at Spencer with a bored look and plodded along to the outdoor enclosure. Mutt was jumping while they waited and tripped over his own feet. Spencer scooped him up into his arms. "Be careful," he said.

Mutt blushed and hid his face against Spencer's shoulder. "Sorry, I just got excited is all."

The volunteer opened the door and let Harvey off his leash. The dog sat down and endured Mutt's hugs and pokes and prods stoically. Mutt sat in front of the dog and hugged his neck, pulling so much on the dog that eventually Harvey laid down. Mutt tugged at the dog's ears and laughed. "I love this dog," Mutt said. "Please, can I have him? Please?"

Spencer knelt down and offered the back of his hand to the dog. Harvey didn't growl or bark. Reid smiled and enjoyed being able to say, "Yes."

::::::::::::::::::

Mutt wore himself out acting so hyper and excited on the way home that he quickly fell asleep on the rug in the living room before Spencer had even managed to find the dog bones among the bags of necessary items.

Spencer watched the dog walk from his post by the door to lay down next to the sleeping child. He took the time to snap a picture on his cell phone before putting things away. He filled the dog's water bowl and set it down in a part of the kitchen where he hoped it wouldn't get knocked over.

After everything was stored away and all the trash thrown out, he sat down and quickly tore through all the books he'd bought about caring for and training a dog.

Mutt rolled over in his sleep and put his arm around the dog's neck.

:::::::::::::::::::

"Can I sleep in your bed? Please?" Mutt asked softly as he splashed around the bubbles in the bath tub.

Spencer nodded and didn't look up from the case consult he was writing, as he was very far behind on his work. "Of course you can."

"Can Harvey sleep there too?" Mutt asked.

Spencer looked up and laughed at the pile of bubbles on Mutt's head. "Yes," he said. He didn't particularly want a dog in his bed, but who could say no to that face?

Spencer got the best night of sleep he could ever remember getting. Mutt was right next to him and Spencer didn't know how such a small person had ended up with all the blankets. The child had the front of Spencer's shirt balled up in his fist and he held on to that for the entire night. The dog laid at the foot of the bed and rested his head on Spencer's shins.

"I love you, Daddy," Mutt sighed as he fell asleep.

"I love you too," Spencer replied. He put his arm around Mutt and then looked up at the dark ceiling. It wasn't the life he'd ever expected to have. It was better and he wouldn't trade it for anything.

:::::::::::::::::::

Ann Starks' career had started in the Army and after ten years she was recruited by the FBI and had gone into private security for a short while before retiring a little over a year ago. Retirement did not suit her. She was bored and lonely, depressed that all her former glory had amounted to sitting at home alone hoping to be called to speak at an event or consult on a case.

She was beginning to regret never starting a family. At the time, it had been the most logical move for her career. After all, she couldn't waste time on maternity leave, not with cases to be solved and power to gain. If she had only known then how much she would long for grandchildren now. That's what all her former colleagues had to entertain them nowadays.

Instead, she'd been offered a job as a nanny when she was talking to Dave Rossi on the phone one day. Ann had never shared her feelings of loneliness with anyone before, but she knew Dave was about as close to a mind reader as she ever would meet, or would want to meet for that matter. She'd agreed to the job of watching the boy while his father worked and was now trying to decide what to bring along. She fully intended to spoil the child.

::::::::::::::::

Mutt was easily won over by the new nanny, who had gummy worms in her purse and gave him the whole bag. It was Spencer who struggled with saying good bye. He knew that Mutt was safer now that he'd been the first time Spencer had left, but he still didn't want to leave the child.

"Make sure you practice your letters," Spencer said. "And remember it's your job to take Harvey out into the yard."

Mutt smiled. "Daddy, I know. You writed…wrote?…you wrote it down."

Spencer lingered at the doorway, watching his son as if trying to memorize every single detail. The boy was sitting on the floor using the couch to support his back. He had managed to pull one of Spencer's sweaters from the closet and was wearing it with the sleeves pushed up, but the material slid down to cover his hand every time he pulled a gummy worm out of the package and dropped it into his mouth. The dog was laying on the floor next to the boy, occasionally working on a rawhide bone as if he were in no hurry to chew through it.

His watch beeped, signaling that if he did not leave at that exact moment he would be late. He sighed and turned away.

"Don't worry about him," Starks said.

Spencer nodded and opened the front door. Suddenly a pair of little arms was wrapped around his legs. "Bye, Daddy," Mutt whispered. He then let Spencer go and raced off to play, the sleeves of his borrowed sweater flapping behind him and his dog following after him protectively.

:::::::::::::::::::

Spencer had a difficult time looking at the images as J.J. presented the case involving the assault and murder of five children in as many weeks and had little to contribute in the BAU room. He still had nothing to add while on the plane and he knew that everyone was noticing. As they were landing in a tiny airport near the small town of Glen Rose, Oklahoma, J.J. pulled him aside.

"Spence, I know what you're going through. Cases involving children get harder once you're a parent."

Spencer nodded and offered a wry smiled. He was grateful that J.J. understood. "The more I think about this case, the more I want to go home and be with him. It could have easily been him, J.J. I know that. Everyday, it crosses my mind."

J.J. patted his arm and then grabbed her things in preparation to disembark. "It wasn't him though, and you need to be comforted by that. You get to go home to him as soon as we catch this UnSub."

Spencer sighed. "Parenthood is terrifying."

**A/N This is a bit shorter than my normal updates. Stupid real life somehow snuck into my writing cave…Anyway, so from now on I'll probably doing shorter updates, but they'll be more frequent than they would be if I attempted to write longer pieces.**


	6. Chapter 6

Spencer worked in front of his map for a long time. What should have been a quick geographical profile was slowed by the images of three girls and two boys that were pinned on the board beside the map. They were discarded, dumped next to garbage cans, looks of horror on their faces.

Spencer turned his body away, trying not to see it, trying not to think of the images in the case file that had led him to Mutt, the bruises on his face and arms and hips and thighs. He couldn't bear the knowledge that their were people out there who did that to children, who had done it to his child. Before, it had been sad, yes, but easy to keep his distance. Children were things in textbooks, just another part of the victimology. Mutt made it all real to him. Now, he couldn't just look at the images and deduce that the UnSub preferred brunette children, ranging from five to eight years old, and viewed them as insignificant tools. Now, he could imagine each of these children as real, innocent beings. Children who may have liked dinosaurs or teddy bears, who loved to color, who were learning how to read and write and do math, who probably had a pet that they loved. They were real and it made Spencer angry in a way that he'd never been angry before.

He finished his work on the map, giving them a twenty-mile radius to work in, knowing that his map would only be good for catching the UnSub with the corpse of the current missing boy.

Morgan appeared at the doorway and saw Spencer's distress. "Reid, step away from it for a moment."

"I don't understand why…well, I do know why, technically speaking…I just don't understand how someone could do this."

Morgan gave Reid that serious look that always made Reid feel like he was talking to the older brother he'd never had. "I know, it's got to be tough. You look at these kids and you see your own little boy. There's gotta be a lot of anger there, seeing what this guy has done."

Reid nodded and sat down. "Mutt was sexually abused and exploited. He still has nightmares about it. He talks about how bad men hurt him. I hate that I can't take those memories away."

Morgan rolled a chair next to Reid and sat down as well. "You know that's not possible, but I'll tell you something that I truly believe. That boy is lucky. He has you and I know that you won't let those memories warp him the way it does some people. You care about that child and really, that's what he needs."

Reid sighed and glanced at his watch. Mutt would be getting ready for bed right then.

Morgan smiled. "Go call your boy."

Reid jumped up and walked outside, dialing. After two rings he heard a click and a little voice came on the line. "Daddy!"

Reid leaned against the pillars outside the Glen Rose Police Department. "Hey, Mutt. Are you being good?"

"Yeah, I am." Mutt yawned. "I miss you, Daddy. I wish you were home."

"I wish I was there too."

"Can I wear this jacket to sleep in?" Mutt asked. "I just want to borrow it in case I get scared. Its like clothes hugs."

"Of course you can borrow it. I'll be home soon."

"Good night, Daddy."

"Good night, son." Spencer heard a banging noise as Mutt set the phone down.

"He's been a little angel," Starks said. "I haven't had any problems at all. That boy hasn't taken your sweater off all day. You must be doing something right there. He's a wonderful child."

Spencer grinned. "That's all him. I just got lucky."

Starks chuckled. "I'll let you get back to your case now. Good luck."

The line went dead and Spencer took in a deep breath. He noticed that Mutt was starting to call him Daddy more often and he was glad for that. He felt more confident that he was earning the title.

:::::::::::::::::::

Spencer went back inside and returned to his map, hoping to see if he could see something he may have missed earlier.

"Feel better?" Morgan asked as he drank his coffee.

Spencer nodded and then, his voice swelling with pride, he shared, "He's started calling me Daddy."

Morgan laughed and grinned. "Look at you, Daddy Reid, huh?" His phone chirped and he answered. "Talk to me, baby girl. You're on speaker with me and Reid."

"Hello, my visions," Garcia said. "I've been up all night scanning the internet activity in the area. There's one computer in particular that's bouncing around on way too many proxies to be up to anything good. I'm working on getting you an address right now."

"Keep it up, Garcia," Morgan said.

"Back at ya," she replied, hanging up.

::::::::::::::::

Penelope typed furiously. "Not today, pervert," she muttered to herself as she traced the IP address closer and closer to its origin. She was determined, more so than usual, because though she hadn't been able to get to the origin yet, she had figured out what was being covered up.

She would make sure that whoever was on a website watching the pain of the little boy that called her Loopy was going to pay for what he'd done.j

:::::::::::::::::

It was dawn and hope for the survival of the missing child dwindled as the sun rose. The entire team sat in their work room, staring at the floor, the ceiling, the maps and words on the boards. They all felt as if they had somehow failed.

The phone rang and they all dived for it. Morgan reached it first and hit the speaker button. "Talk to us."

"Alright," Garcia said. "I've got an address and a name for you, however the name isn't much good. Whoever is living there stole the identity of a man that died a year ago."

"Get us that address," Hotch barked.

Penelope's typing was so loud that they could hear it over the phone. It suddenly stopped. "234 County Road 19, just outside of Glen Rose."

The team wordlessly moved into action.

:::::::::::::::::::

The UnSub had bunkered himself inside the house. He was now surrounded, but refused to come out. They had no knowledge of the missing child and were forced to assume that the boy was alive in there.

"You know how this ends for you," Rossi said into the megaphone, his amplified voice filled the still morning. "The only hope you have left is returning that boy alive."

The front door opened and the boy stumbled out. Without thinking, Reid rushed to him, scooping the child into his arms and racing away. It was dangerous, reckless. He didn't know if the UnSub was armed or not. He just knew that if it was Mutt there, he would want someone to pull him away as quickly as possible.

The local and state police flooded into the house, followed by the BAU.

::::::::::::::::

The team was in a great mood on the airplane home. It was a rare thing, to witness a child being returned home alive. All too often it didn't happen.

"You know what, I'm gonna go to a high school football game tonight," Morgan said. "I haven't been to a game in way too long."

Spencer shook his head. He'd never been very interested in watching sports.

"You should come with me," Morgan said, tapping Reid on the arm. "Bring the little guy. I want to start him early. I'll make a great quarterback out of him."

Spencer laughed at the thought of his tiny son playing football. They all knew that Spencer would never allow it, knowing the statistics on injuries the way that he did. The closest Mutt would ever get to a sport was when Spencer decided it was time to teach him to play chess.

However, Spencer knew that the snacks alone would be enough to make Mutt happy so he agreed.

:::::::::::::::::

Mutt abandoned his plate of chicken nuggets the moment he saw Spencer walk through the door. It had only been one night apart, but that was way too long for Mutt. Spencer knelt down and Mutt hugged him. "Daddy's home!" the boy yelled.

Spencer stood, lifting the boy up with him. Mutt kissed Spencer's cheek and then squealed in embarrassment. He didn't know if that was alright for him to do. He hid his face in Spencer's shoulder and giggled in spite of himself.

Spencer shook the nanny's hand and she left, giving Mutt one last piece of chocolate before she left.

Mutt wiggled in Spencer's arms. "I made you a present."

Spencer set Mutt down and the boy ran to his room to grab the piece of paper that he had written on. The nanny had helped him with the message and he hoped that it looked right. He wasn't very good at all of the letters yet, but he thought they looked nice.

:::::::::::::::::::

Spencer stared for the longest time at the little crayon written message. 'I love you, Daddy,' filled the top of the page. Every letter was in a different color, painstakingly made to the best of the four-year-old's abilities. Underneath the writing was a comically tall stick figure next to a shorter one with yellow lines coming out of it's head. Beside the two figures was a drawing of a yellow dog.

Spencer found a magnet and displayed the drawing on the refrigerator. Mutt swelled with pride and went to finish his lunch.


	7. Chapter 7

Mutt was amazed by the football game and Spencer grew concerned about losing his grip on the boy's hand. He lifted Mutt up into his arms as they found great seats at the fifty yard line, front row. Mutt wiggled his way between Morgan and Reid and started kicking his legs and bouncing.

Morgan glanced at Mutt and laughed. "Save all that energy. It hasn't even started yet."

Mutt grinned at Morgan and then suddenly slid off the bench and grabbed a woman's skirt. She jumped and pressed her hand to her heart before she realized who it was. "Hey, little buddy. What are you doing here?" Dr. Adele said with a smile.

Mutt blushed a little and said, "I'm going to see football."

Spencer slid over on the bench to allow Dr. Adele to take a seat so she wouldn't block the flow of traffic. Mutt climbed up onto Spencer's lap and stared at the popcorn in Dr. Adele's hands. She squinted at him and he giggled. "I think I could share with you," she said.

Spencer watched Mutt take a fistful of popcorn and then the boy attempted to put all of in his mouth. "Careful, Mutt," Spencer said. "You could choke on that."

Mutt coughed a little, but managed to get the popcorn down. "I'm OK, Daddy. You worry lots."

Dr. Adele smiled at Mutt's statement, but agreed with Spencer. "Listen to your dad, he's right."

Spencer glanced up at Morgan, who had been trying to get Reid's attention ever since Dr. Adele had sat down. "Oh, I'm sorry," Spencer said. "Dr. Adele, this is my colleague, Derek Morgan."

"Hello, Dr. Adele," Morgan said, looking at the pretty pediatrician appreciatively.

Dr. Adele shook his hand. "Nice to meet you. And please, you can call me Ava out among the general population."

"She's Mutt's pediatrician," Spencer explained to stop the teasing looks Morgan was giving him.

The home team ran through a paper sign to the sound of the school's fight song. Mutt glanced around, looking for the source of the music, but didn't find it. He shrugged and eased his way from Spencer's lap, settling on Ava's for better access to the popcorn. Ava smiled at him and mussed his hair a little. "He's so cute," she said, but her voice was drowned out by the crowd cheering the impending kick off.

Spencer had expected Morgan to be the one that was most into the game, but it was Ava that was coaching from the bleachers. Spencer gathered from the announcer's commentary that Ava had two brothers on the team. "Oh, come on!" she groaned. "Seriously? No flag? That was holding!"

::::::::::::::::::::

Mutt looked up at Ava, wondering who she was talking to. He wondered if she was a little crazy, but stayed in her lap because of the popcorn and also because she smelled like flowers. He poked Spencer's arm and pointed to the girls dancing around on the sidelines. "Who are they?"

Spencer leaned down. "Those are cheerleaders."

"What do they do?"

"They do cheers so their team will win."

"Who is winning? Which team is their team? Why do those guys wear those funny clothes? What's that stripey guy for? Can I have some water?"

Spencer chuckled. "Ask Morgan."

Mutt sighed and turned to Morgan, repeating his list of questions. Morgan explained the game while Ava reached into her purse for a bottle of water. Mutt drank it down gratefully. The popcorn had made him very thirsty. Ava took the empty bottle from him and he laid his head against her chest while he listened to Morgan talk about football.

::::::::::::::::

Spencer was glad that Mutt seemed to be content, but it worried him a little how attached the boy was getting to the young doctor. Spencer wasn't sure that Mutt understood that Ava was a medical professional, albeit a friendly one, and that she may not have the time or desire to be a permanent part of his life. He didn't want Mutt to get his feelings hurt if he didn't see her for long periods of time.

The first half went by quickly and the home team was trailing behind by 10 points, despite Ava's coaching from the stands. Most of the crowd started a slow moving shuffle to the concession stands.

There was the tap of a snare drum, and then a percussion cadence grew from that. The sound caught Mutt's attention and he watched raptly as the high school marching band went onto the field. "Who are they?" he asked breathlessly.

"That's the band," Ava replied. "I used to be in that. They're going to do a show for us."

Mutt craned his neck for a better view as the drum majors saluted and one rushed to the podium. The band had his undivided attention from the moment the music started until well after they had left the field. He still seemed to be in awe as half time dwindled to a close.

Ava smiled and glanced at Spencer quickly before she said, "Maybe, if your dad doesn't mind, I can take you to meet them during the fourth quarter."

Mutt nearly flew from Ava's lap to Spencer's and started to pull at Spencer's tie. "Please, can I? Please? I'll be good, I promise. I'll show you how good I will be." Mutt folded his hands and remained still for a few seconds before resuming his bouncing and pulling at Spencer's tie. "See how good I was? I can be that good forever if I get to go see the band!"

Spencer held back his laughter and nodded. "I guess you can go."

"Is it time now?" Mutt asked Ava.

"I'll tell you when, OK?"

Mutt nodded and then whispered to Spencer, "I gotta go." The boy was louder than he intended to be and Morgan overheard.

"I'll take him. I was ordered by Garcia to get him hopped up on sugar anyway, so we need to make a concession stand run anyway."

Spencer reached into his pocket for his wallet, but Morgan held up a hand. "Let Uncle Derek take care of this. You kids don't get too crazy now."

Spencer shifted uncomfortably, not sure how he was supposed to carry on a conversation now that Mutt wasn't with them. He looked over at Ava and commented on the first thing he noticed. "Your ear piercing is unique for a doctor."

Ava unconsciously touched the metal bar in her ear. "Oh, yeah, this. Well, I just decided I wanted to be different and could never decide on a tattoo, so I had a bar shoved through my ear instead."

Spencer laughed at her joke and then tried to move the conversation along. "Mutt seems to like you a lot."

"He's a sweet kid," she said with a smile. "But I have to ask…what's with that awful name? I mean…it's just mean almost."

Spencer smoothed his tie and scraped at a smear of popcorn butter left by his son as he answered. "I adopted him and he said that was his name. I've offered to change it, but he doesn't realize yet the connotations of a name like that."

"Well, hopefully he realizes it before he starts school."

Spencer nodded in agreement. "That will be interesting."

"Are you nervous for that?"

"It's still a year away, but yes," Spencer said. "Children can be so cruel."

Ava laughed. "You don't have to tell me." She slid her sleeve up her slender forearm. "This bruise is courtesy of a two-year-old who was not pleased with getting a shot."

Spencer looked at the mark and winced in sympathy, noting the absence of a ring. He wasn't sure why he was so observant of that fact, but decided it was alright. Mutt returned and settled into Ava's lap with a bag of M&M candies. "I'll share with you," he said.

:::::::::::::::::

Ava smiled at the endearing way the small child offered to share, but had to refuse. "I'm allergic," she said.

"What's that?"

"It means my body doesn't like chocolate and it makes me very sick."

Mutt nodded slowly in understanding and then started to eat his candy one piece at a time. He leaned over and offered to share with his father and his father's friend.

Ava couldn't resist giving him a quick hug. She was growing very attached to him, more than she really should have considering he was a patient. Ava loved children, even the ones who bit, kicked, scratched, or otherwise injured her. She was twenty-eight now and all of her friends had husbands and children. It was something she had always dreamed about and she felt the pangs of a familiar pain over the fact that she wasn't sure she could have that dream. Even if she did find a good man, she wouldn't be able to have children.

She shifted her eyes away from the field, trying not to let the wave of emotions get the best of her. She tried to focus on just enjoying her time with the sweet child who sat in her lap after only meeting her once before.

She noticed a flash of sorts and before she could even register her thoughts she leapt up, practically throwing Mutt into his father's arms. The pain was so intense that she couldn't locate its origin and the only real thought she could grasp on to was that she couldn't believe she had been shot.

**A/N So, what does everyone think of Ava? Should she and Spencer get together or remain friends?**


	8. Chapter 8

Panic engulfed the stadium. Women and children shrieked. People started to move and shuffle, adding to the chaos. Morgan pulled his badge and did his best to control the crowd along with the local constable who was at the game as well.

Spencer offered what support he could as Ava sank to the ground. He reached out blindly, grabbing the first jacket his hand came in contact with and used it to put pressure on the wound just below her right breast.

"Ava! Ava!" Mutt sobbed. The little boy clung to his father's back, afraid of the mass of frenzied people desperate to flee danger.

::::::::::::::::

"Hotch, get the team here now!" Morgan shouted into his cell phone, unsure if he had been heard. As soon as he'd heard the shot, he's searched for the source of the sound and his guess was that it had come from atop the concession and bathroom complex. Of course, the shooter was probably long gone by now, blending into the chaos.

"Remain calm!" he shouted, desperate to be heard over the crowd. He saw the E.M.T.s desperately trying to fight the flow of the people that had managed to get out onto the ramps and stairs that led to the exits.

Morgan felt his temper flaring at the stupidity of people. He wasn't sure what chance the pretty young doctor had. He looked down and saw that Reid was trying to stem the bleeding as much as possible. The woman was awake, but appeared to be in shock.

:::::::::::::::::

Agent Hotchner was the first to arrive and witness the calamity at the small football stadium. Police forces were starting to respond and attempt to control the situation. He was puzzled about what was going on, but immediately tried to offer help where he could.

::::::::::::::::

Agent Prentiss parked her car illegally because of the mass exodus from the parking lot. She spotted Hotch in the crowd and fought her way to him.

"What's going on?" she asked. The phone call had lacked in details, but Hotch sounded very urgent.

"I've just learned there's been a shooting," Hotch said.

Prentiss gasped. "Oh…are Morgan and Reid alright? Please tell me it wasn't that little boy."

Hotch shook his head. "From what I gather, the victim was a woman. I haven't been able to find Reid or Morgan yet."

:::::::::::::::::

The gurney finally reached Ava and the paramedic team went to work, quickly lifting her onto it. Reid released pressure when instructed and turned to hug Mutt tightly. It just as easily could have been either one of them and Spencer wondered what it was that caused Ava to stand up at that moment.

Spencer lifted Mutt, for the first time aware of the blood that was on both of them.

:::::::::::::::::

Agent Rossi arrived at the scene in time to see the ambulance tearing away, sirens blaring, but lost in the sound of the police sirens. He managed to find Hotch and Prentiss fairly easily as the crowd was starting to thin out rapidly.

Morgan jogged to meet the team. "Reid and I didn't see anything. The gunshot victim was a friend of his. These next few hours will be crucial, but I think she has a good chance. From what I can guess, the only place the shooter could have been was on top of that building."

"It makes no sense. The type of person that would launch an attack at a football game wouldn't shoot just one person. Their goal would be to kill and injure as many people as possible," Rossi said.

"Unless this was a personal attack," Hotch said.

Morgan clenched his jaw and shut his eyes, letting out a long breath through his nose. "She stood up right before the shot was fired. I think it was intended for Reid or his kid."

::::::::::::::::

Ava felt like she was drifting away, almost like falling asleep. Like that moment, laying in bed after your alarm goes off and it feels like only a minute, but in reality an hour passes by. She groaned and tried to move, but she had been secured to the gurney.

Ava had hoped that once the shock wore off the pain would get better, but it only increased. It would have been so easy to just go to sleep, but somewhere deep within a sense of self-preservation had her fighting to maintain consciousness.

::::::::::::::::

Reid was the last to find the team. Mutt was still sobbing into his shoulder and Reid was growing very concerned about the boy.

Hotch took charge. "Reid, the team and I will take care of things here. You keep us updated from the hospital. We need to talk to the victim as soon as possible and find out if anyone had motive to attack her."

Spencer nodded and rushed to his vehicle, muttering into his son's ear, "It's alright, it's over now. Ava is going to be alright."

Mutt sobbed harder, "Blood was all over."

Reid set the boy into the backseat and buckled him up. "I know, son. I know that was a lot of blood but Ava is going to be fine."

:::::::::::::::::

Ava still couldn't move as she was raced through the emergency room to the OR. She remembered all the times she'd witnessed someone on a similar journey during her residency. She had never imagined there would come a time that she would be the one on that ride and she had no illusions about how it could all end up.

She closed her eyes, vaguely aware of all the hands on her. Her mind drifted back to the only other time she'd had surgery at the age of ten, to stop internal bleeding after a jet skiing accident. For some reason, though many of her memories of that age were fuzzy or forgotten, she remembered that hospital stay, especially because of how it had ended, when a nurse bluntly told her that she had severe scarring and would be unlikely to ever have children.

Ava wasn't sure why she was thinking about that at a time like this. Her thoughts started to get more and more scattered, and she had vague flashes of memories of times with her brothers and parents. She wondered if it was her life flashing before her eyes, like in the movies. It was rather disappointing, she decided. None of it was in order.

:::::::::::::::::::

After the top of the building had been processed, Morgan stood at the ledge, looking out at the bleachers. "Alright, so I somehow get a weapon into the stadium and get up here. That means I'm good at blending in or I've been waiting up here for a long time before the game even started." He started to pace. "So why do I wait? If I'm here to cause chaos, why don't I just start firing?"

Prentiss joined Morgan and surveyed the vantage point the height of the building provided. "Maybe you're just after one person."

Morgan nodded. "I'm up here waiting but the crowd is thick. I'm not here to kill recklessly, I have one target in mind and I'm waiting to spot it."

Prentiss crouched down near where the bullet casing had been found. "Morgan, check out this scrape in the concrete."

Morgan examined the mark as well. "So, maybe I've managed to set myself up at a weak point and it gives just the slightest bit when I go to fire. Factor in that the doctor moved…" Morgan squinted. "The kid was in her lap before she moved…"

Hotch ended his conversation with one of the local authorities and joined the two profilers as they reached a general consensus. "Reid's son must have been the target."

::::::::::::::::

Mutt shivered in the cold of the hospital. The blood on him was cold as it dried. He wondered how long they had been there, with so many people looking at them because of the blood. He wanted to explain to them that it wasn't his fault, that he didn't do anything bad.

He held on to his dad's hand. He was scared and every time he closed his eyes all he saw was that burst of blood and the metal that barely missed him as it left Ava. He started to cry again, amazed that he had any tears left.

::::::::::::::::::::

Reid watched the clock as the hour dragged out, and then another. Morgan was sending him text message updates, letting him know that they were trying to piece something together using the game films and the brief glimpse of a dark figure caught by a news camera.

Finally, the doctor stepped out.

:::::::::::::::::::

When Mutt saw Ava laying on the bed, he was sure she was dead. She was so pale and her eyes were closed. He shielded his face against his father's shoulder, but then he heard a soft whisper, "Hey, little man. What a night, huh?"

**A/N I'm sorry if I got any facts wrong. I am not a sniper or a doctor, just an adequate Google-er.**


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Ava was still in more pain than she'd ever been in, but she couldn't turn Mutt away when he wanted to lay in the hospital bed with her. Though it hurt, she cleared a spot on her left side and let him sit there. He held her hand, examining each of her fingernails while his dad hovered over him. "Mutt, you need to be very careful," he said.

"I am," Mutt whispered as he hugged Ava's hand to his chest and brushed little kisses on her finger tips.

Ava wanted to just squeeze him, but she knew that would be an unwise decision. "He's just fine where he is," Ava said. Her voice was raspy from the nasal oxygen tube that was making her nose and throat feel dry. She wanted nothing more than to rip it off her face. In fact, she was tired of all the machines she was hooked up to, except the morphine pump. At that thought, she pressed the button again and the machine release a small amount of pain killer.

Spencer checked his phone and then asked, "Ava, are you feeling up to answering a few questions for us?"

Ava didn't feel like it at all, but she said, "Yes."

:::::::::::::::::::::

Mutt reluctantly left Ava's side to be taken for breakfast by Prentiss and J.J. The interview would be conducted by Rossi, but Ava had requested that Spencer stay in the room. Spencer was glad that she had because he didn't particularly want to leave her either, not after learning that she had most likely saved Mutt's life by standing when she did.

"If at any point you need a break, let me know," Rossi said.

Ava nodded slightly. "Got it."

"Have you received any threats recently?"

"No."

"Has anyone ever attempted to harm you in any way?"

Ava thought for a moment. "It was ten years ago, I had a pretty sloppy break up. A month later he showed up at my apartment and attacked me, but he was drunk and didn't do much. I don't even know where he is these days."

Rossi nodded. "Can we get a name for exclusionary purposes?"

"His name was Alexander Gordell. We went to Rice University together."

Rossi scribbled the name onto a notepad and continued. "Did anyone make you uncomfortable when you arrived at the stadium? Did you feel as if you were being watched or did someone go out of their way to harass you?"

"No, nothing like that happened," Ava said. "It didn't seem like anything was out of the ordinary until I saw light reflecting off of something immediately before it happened."

"So you believe that you saw the weapon?"

"Yes."

Spencer edged closer to the side of her bed. "Why did you stand up if you saw the gun?"

Ava bit her lip a bit before responding. "I just reacted. It happened so fast. I just saw it and some gut reaction made me stand up and get in front of Mutt. I'm glad I did it, even if this hurts like hell." She punctuated her statement with a hard press on the morphine pump.

::::::::::::::::::

Rossi glanced at his youngest colleague before ending his interview. "Thank you for your time, Dr. Adele."

The young woman closed her eyes for a moment and mumbled a bit as the pain reliever took it's toll. "Thanks…"

A nurse entered at that moment and asked the men to leave for the sake of Ava's modesty.

::::::::::::::::

Reid could tell that Rossi wanted to talk to him, but he wasn't in the mood. He rushed to his son as soon as the boy appeared in the hallway, carrying a bunch of what appeared to be weeds. "I got Ava some flowers."

"We have to wait for the nurse to finish making sure that she is alright," Spencer said. "I'm sure she'll love those."

At almost the exact moment the nurse left the room, a delivery man got off the elevator with a vase of brightly colored flowers. He had a bored expression on his face as he followed the signs, stopping at Ava's room. Mutt frowned at the bundle of 'flowers' in his hand.

Spencer smiled sympathetically at the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go see her."

Mutt allowed himself to be led into the room, sticking his tongue out at the exiting flower delivery man. He tried to move as quietly as possible to the trash can in the corner of the room so that Ava wouldn't notice.

"What do you have there, little guy?" Ava asked.

Mutt stopped and put his hands behind his back. "Nothin' just…" Mutt sighed. "I found you these flowers." He held up his handful of weeds.

"Why weren't you going to give them to me, mister?" Ava said tiredly, but some of her former animation returning as she pretended to be upset. "I love them. Can you put them right here on my little table?"

Mutt perked up. "You really like them?"

"Of course I do. You picked them out just for me and I think they're beautiful."

Mutt carefully set the now slightly squashed bundle on the bedside table. The pride he felt was obvious.

:::::::::::::::::::

"Anything on the ex?" Hotch asked. He knew it probably wouldn't go anywhere, but he had to be thorough.

"He's incarcerated," Garcia replied. "I've been searching everything I could think of, but I don't know if it would lead anywhere."

"What have you found?"

"I got to thinking and if that precious baby boy was the real target then maybe the shooter was someone who didn't want secrets getting out. I'm compiling a list of anyone who has visited child pornography sites more than once in the past year. It's a scary big list."

Hotch shook his head at the monstrosities humanity was capable of and again was thankful that his son was safe. "Good work, Garcia. Send us the list and we'll have to go through each one."

"Already done."

:::::::::::::::::::::

Mutt was not happy about leaving Ava behind, but Spencer needed to get Mutt home with the nanny so that he could join in going through the growing list of possible suspects. It was only by convincing the boy that his dog missed him that Spencer was able to get Mutt to walk out of the hospital.

::::::::::::::::::::

Ava closed her eyes to rest, but it didn't last long before her family arrived.

"Oh, good! You got the flowers," her mother said, moving the bright arrangement into better lighting. As she did so, she noticed the pile of yellow-flowered weeds. "What's all this?"

Ava smiled. "One of the FBI agent's son picked them for me."

Her mom got that annoying look in her eyes. "Oh, and FBI agent, huh?" She grinned widely and elbowed her husband.

Ava rolled her eyes. "Mom, stop it. I'm pretty sure his four-year-old is the one that has a crush on me, not him."

"You never know," her mother said in a sing song voice.

Ava sighed. "Whatever, Mom." She tried not to laugh, but couldn't resist a short chuckle. "Ow!"

"Careful, sis," her brother, Jacob, said.

"Hush," Ava teased. "And take your own advice. You need to be more careful with your passes, Mister Two-Interceptions."

Jacob took the good natured teasing in stride and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well, guess you'll just have to teach me again when you get out of the hospital."

Jacob's fraternal twin, Mitch, laughed at the memory of Ava teaching them how to throw a spiral when she was seventeen and they were six. Hours spent out in the autumn leaves, a memory he would always cherish. Ava had always been his hero and she still was.

:::::::::::::::::::

Reid filled up on coffee for the fifth time that night. Emptying the pot and starting a fresh one going offered him a brief moment to collect his thoughts. He was worried about his son, but knew that the boy was safe with Starks, plus the surveillance that the FBI had provided for the house. As much as he wanted to be with the boy, he knew the best thing would be to continue searching for some sort of lead.


	10. Chapter 10

Reid had to be forced to leave the BAU room. He wanted to stay long after everyone else had burned out. He looked at the list of names, the brief bits of information Garcia had compiled for each one. He was hoping to find something, anything. He felt it was his duty as a father and he owed it to Ava as well.

"Reid, take a break," Morgan said. "Come back in the morning with fresh eyes."

Reid put down the papers in his hand with a frustrated sigh. He shook his head. "They're all horrible people, but none of them seem like they would have been capable of the shooting."

"I know," Morgan agreed. "But you need to go home and make sure you're there when that baby has nightmares."

Reid nodded. "You're right. He's prone to nightmares as it is and he really likes Dr. Adele."

"And what about you?"

Reid gave Morgan a clueless look. "I'm fine. I've seen people get shot before, I know how to cope."

Morgan chuckled. "I know, Reid. I was asking how you feel about Dr. Adele."

Reid blushed. "I don't know. She's attractive of course, and very likable."

"Alright, Reid," Morgan said with a grin, patting Reid on the shoulder. "When are you going to ask her out?"

"That would be highly inappropriate. Right now, she's involved in a case and beyond that she's my son's doctor. A professional relationship is all that's apropos in this situation."

Morgan shook his head in shame. "Reid, sometimes you just have to go for what you want."

"I don't even know how to ask a woman out," Reid mumbled. "I'm not good with women."

"Yeah, and you're not good with kids and animals either," Morgan said sarcastically.

Reid sighed and rinsed his coffee cup. "I wouldn't ask her on a date any time soon, but maybe in the future."

::::::::::::::

Reid arrived home and thanked Starks for all that she'd done. She smiled and told him not to worry and then she asked, "How's that girl that got shot doing?"

"She's recovering well."

"Your son has been going on and on about her. He seems absolutely charmed."

Reid smiled. "Well, she's good with him."

Starks gave Spencer a knowing look and then she gathered her things and left for the night.

Spencer found Mutt and Harvey the dog in Mutt's room. The child was laying on his bed, fighting sleep, and his dog was on the bed next to him. Spencer knelt by the bed and smoothed Mutt's blond hair back, revealing sparkling green eyes. "Hey, Daddy," Mutt said softly.

"How do you feel?" Spencer asked.

"Can we go see Ava again? I miss her, Daddy."

"We need to let her rest so she can get better."

"I want her to come here and play with me and Harvey."

Spencer sighed. "Mutt, you have to understand that Ava is a doctor and she's very important and might not have time to come play with you."

"She's my friend," Mutt said. The boy looked like he might cry if Spencer disagreed or tried to correct him again.

Spencer kissed Mutt on the forehead. "Good night, son."

"Good night, Daddy."

Spencer stood and started to leave.

"Daddy!"

"What is it?'

"Tell Harvey good night too."

Spencer smiled and patted the dog on the head. "Good night, Harvey."

::::::::::::::::::

The team settled down for a second long session of going through file after file, searching for a potential shooter. No evidence had been recovered that gave them any sort of lead and they all knew that the longer it was, the less likely it would be for them to find the UnSub.

Garcia rushed into the room with a printed page in her hand. Her curled hair had gone flat and she looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep. "I've seen things in the past few hours that I can never unsee, but I found something." She dropped the page on the middle of the table.

The image had been enhanced as much as possible, and though it was slightly grainy, it was still a face they all recognized.

"Isn't he running for governor?" Prentiss said, squinting closer at the picture.

"Yes, and don't ask to see the image I got that from. Just know that he's not the wholesome family man he wants us all to think he is," Penelope replied, her face lacking all traces of a smile.

"That could be his motivation," Rossi said. "He knows that the children he's hurt can discredit him."

Reid felt sick to his stomach as he looked at the face of the man. His only thoughts were of justice for his son's pain.

Morgan shuffled through the files. "Here he is. Cedric Dawson viewed child pornography from the Internet three hundred times in the last year."

"One of his biggest campaign points is his career in the military," J.J. said.

"We need to take a closer look at this man," Hotch said.

::::::::::::::::

Reid excused himself from the rest of the investigation. He knew the team understood and it was actually the right thing to do. He was too emotionally invested and could be a liability.

Mutt was ecstatic to see his dad come home early. He and his dog came rushing out the front door. Mutt wrapped his arms around Spencer's waist and Mutt was so joyful that even the normally unflappable Harvey gave a little jump of excitement.

Spencer laughed, his sour mood instantly lightened. "Why so happy to see me?"

"Because I love you," Mutt said, grabbing Spencer by the hand. "I'm glad you're my dad."

Spencer let himself be led into the house, expecting to see some sort of mess, but Mutt was just genuinely in a good mood. The boy's affectionate mood was doing wonders for Spencer and he was amazed at the child's capacity to heal.

:::::::::::::::::::

Morgan took great pleasure in kicking down the door of the would-be governor's condo. While they had no evidence yet that he had been the shooter, they had strong reason to believe that it was indeed him. They were going to bring him in on child pornography charges until they could find some evidence to pin the attempted murder on him as well.

Men like Dawson made Morgan sick. He hated how they could live with themselves like they weren't destroying lives, all the while out in the public eye basking in the adoration of the people they were fooling.

:::::::::::::::::::

Ava was thankful her parents had bought her a pair of pajamas to wear instead of the flimsy hospital gown. She was recovering well and had been cleared to get rid of the oxygen tubes.

She'd been up walking around earlier that day, taking an elevator to the third floor to look at the newborns in the nursery windows. All of them were adorable and perfectly healthy babies. She wanted one of her own so badly and she lingered there for a long time.

Ava was perfectly fine with adoption and in fact thought it was a great thing to do. She'd even been considering adopting on her own. Who said she needed a man anyway? And even though she would love an adopted child with her entire heart and soul, she still longed for the experience of creating a life. She wanted to know what it was like to carry a child, to see him or her for the first time, to realize that her baby had her eyes or her nose. It didn't seem fair that she would never have that, but she was sure the joy of adoption would make all of that seem silly.

::::::::::::::::::

Morgan had made sure that Reid was given the task of informing Ava that a suspect had been brought into custody and Reid knew exactly way. Mutt would not take no for an answer and he was quite hyper with excitement about getting to see Ava again.

Spencer knocked on the door and found the room overwhelmed with the scent of flowers. It appeared that she had received at least eight floral arrangements and a dozen mylar balloons since he had last been in the room. There were stacks of candies on the table and Mutt's bundle of weeds was still there as well.

Ava blushed when she noticed Spencer looking at all the gifts. "Apparently, word got out that I'd been shot. A lot of these are from my patients."

"That's very nice of them. You seem to be quite popular with your patients."

Ava nodded. "I get along well with small children and animals because they know I'm at their level," she joked.

Spencer smiled slightly and watched as Mutt climbed up into the bed beside Ava, being as careful as possible. He sat there, remaining perfectly still and serious aside from his large grin. "Ava is the best," he declared.

"That's right," Ava said. "You know, my friend called and we were talking about the flowers you gave me. His name is Matt. That's almost like your name. He's a doctor too."

"I'm going to be a doctor and a FBI," Mutt said seriously. "And then he cannot have that name anymore because it is like my name and I will take it."

"Really? You're going to take his name."

Mutt nodded. "Matt is a good name."

Ava glanced at Spencer. "You know, I bet he would let you have it if I ask him for you. Are you sure that's what you want?"

Mutt looked at his feet. "Would I still be the same person if I got a new name?"

"Of course," Ava said. "Just like some people call me Ava and some people call me Dr. Adele, but I'm still the same person no matter what I'm called."

Mutt nodded. "You can ask for that name for me. My daddy can make it so it's mine. He's a FBI."

Spencer smiled and shook his head. "We came here to let you know that my team has a suspect in custody and we're working to find out if he's the man who shot you."

"Thanks for coming to tell me. That's great news."

Spencer cleared his throat a few times, working up his courage. "I feel like I owe you for protecting my son the way you did."

"No thanks necessary," Ava said.

"I was wondering if you would allow me to…to buy you dinner?"

Ava smiled and put her hand to her cheek as she blushed a bit. "I could accept that."


	11. Chapter 11

Ava felt a bit uncertain as she got ready for her date with Spencer. She'd been out of the hospital for a week, but hadn't returned to work yet, leaving her with plenty of time to think entirely too much about this dinner date with the FBI agent.

She hoped that she wasn't reading too much into it, but it was hard not to. There was something charming about his intelligence and she couldn't deny that she found it attractive that he was so good with his son. Plus, his shyness about asking her out had been adorable. Ava had never really dated a man like Spencer Reid before. She somehow had always managed to pick losers. She just hoped she didn't screw this one up.

Ava had selected a classic little black dress and three-inch black heels, figuring that she couldn't go wrong with that. Her hair was giving her trouble and eventually she gave up on getting all of it to stay straight. She teased it a little and then pulled it into a smooth bun at the nape of her neck. As much as she hated to wear make-up, she decided to just go for it and put some on.

:::::::::::::::::::

Morgan arrived exactly when he said he would to baby sit for Reid. "Check who it is first," Reid called as the boy opened the door.

"I forgot to look," he said, closing the door.

Morgan grinned as he saw the boy's head pop up in the window and waited for the boy to open the door again. "Hi," he said.

"Hey, Mutt," Morgan replied.

"My name is Matt now. I changed it because Daddy is a FBI and he can do that."

Morgan nodded, glad the child had ridded himself of a name that could result in merciless teasing. "Good to see you, Matt."

Matt grabbed Morgan by the hand. "Come see my dog!" he said.

Reid stepped into the living room as he finished fixing his tie. Morgan noticed that his young friend had gotten a hair cut. He let out a low whistle. "Goin' all out for this girl, huh?"

Reid touched his hair. "Too much?"

"You'll do fine. Where are you taking her?"

"Garcia and J.J. told me to take her to this Italian café called Fritella's." Reid gave Morgan a look, seeking his approval.

"Nice place. Romantic, but not too romantic. Be sure to tell me how it goes."

Reid nodded vaguely. "Right, of course."

They young man was obviously nervous, so Morgan offered him a piece of advice, "Be a gentleman, treat her right. Hold doors open, pull out chairs, things like that. And relax."

Reid nodded again, still appearing nervous, but committing the advice to memory as he grabbed his wallet and put on his glasses. He went to the couch, where Matt was sitting, pulling the dog's ears out parallel to the ground and making airplane noises. He kissed the boy on the top of the head. "Be good for Derek, alright?"

"I will," Matt promised. "Are you going to marry her?"

Spencer smiled. "I don't know."

"I think you should. She is pretty and she smells good. You should tell her she smells good. I think girls like that."

Morgan and Reid shared a laugh at the dating advice from a four-year-old. Matt stared at them and then shrugged, resuming his airplane sounds. The dog sat still, patient as ever. Reid hugged his son again and then left.

Morgan sat on the edge of the couch next to the boy. Matt released Harvey's ears and the old dog did a half turn before laying on the ground in front of the child.

"I can read. You wanna see?" Matt said, leaping off the couch, narrowly avoiding stepping on the dog. However, the dog stood anyway and followed the boy as he went into his bedroom and returned with a stack of books.

::::::::::::::::::::

Ava looked at herself in the mirror, wondering for what seemed like the millionth time if she had overdone it. The smoky eye make up seemed entirely too much, even though she had toned it down a bit. She dabbed at the corner of her lip to fix a slight smear in her nude lip gloss. She was starting to think her hair was way too formal and her dress seemed a bit more form-fitting than she'd remembered.

It was too late to change anything though, because the doorbell was ringing.

:::::::::::::::::::::

Spencer was stunned when he saw Ava. She looked like she belonged in a movie or a magazine, not on a date with him. "You look great," he said.

"You do too," she replied, blushing slightly as she grabbed her handbag from the table.

Spencer shoved his hands into his pocket and lingered at the doorway.

"Oh, gosh, I'm being rude," Ava said. "Do you want to come in?"

Spencer nodded and stepped inside, immediately noticing all the pictures of family covering her walls, along with artwork from her patients. Her kitchen table was filled with flower arrangements and cards.

"I have gotten entirely too much attention," she said with a good natured smile. "Things like this keep pouring in."

"It will probably increase. The FBI arrested a politician for the shooting. It may become statewide news or even national."

Ava nodded, biting her lip. "I can't believe I considered voting for that creep." She shuddered and then continued, "Anyway, I was warned about that so I've asked that they include in the newscast that if anyone wants to show support for me then they should send a charitable donation to Hope for Children."

"That's very noble of you."

Ava smiled. "Not really. I'm just too lazy clean up a ton of dead flowers," Ava joked.

Spencer laughed quietly to himself. "Would you like to go now?"

"Sure," she said. "Where are you taking me."

"You'll see," Spencer said with a grin.

:::::::::::::::::::

Matt read every book he had out loud to Morgan. The tall FBI agent patiently listened as the boy read. He had to take his time to think about each word, but he never messed up once. "You're doing great. Your dad taught you well."

Matt nodded. "Yeah, I learned real fast too, he said so." The child kicked his feet. "When is he going to come home?"

"I don't know, it depends on how long his date with Ava takes."

Matt nodded. "Do you think Ava likes my daddy?"

Morgan grinned. "I think she might."

"I hope so," Matt said. "When I was in the bad place all the other kids, they all wanted their mommy and daddy but I didn't have a mommy or daddy. But now, it's better because I have a daddy. And a dog too! But I still think having a mommy would be good. I seen them on TV and I think that mommies are a good thing."

Morgan was touched by the child's words. "Yeah, moms are great. But your dad is pretty great too."

Matt nodded and giggled. "Yeah, my daddy is the best one ever, I think and I know because I seen daddies on TV and he's smarter than all them. He's going to teach me to be smart so I can be a doctor and a FBI."

"Alright then, Agent Doctor Matt," Morgan said with a grin. "How about you and I make something for dinner?"

Matt stood on the couch and started to jump. "My daddy bought chicken nuggets that look like dinosaurs! I want to make those! Please, please, please!"

Morgan chuckled. "Come show them to me and I'll cook them for you."

::::::::::::::::::::

Ava was impressed by Spencer's restaurant choice, but even more so when he pulled her chair out for her. She was all for the 'I am woman, hear me roar' movement, but it was still nice to be treated like a lady. She sipped at her iced water and looked across the table at Spencer, trying not to be too obvious. She just couldn't stop looking at him. Something about him was so unbelievably adorable. He glanced at the menu for a second, his eyes darting back and forth and then he set it down.

"Already know what you want? That was fast," Ava said with a smile as she debated over what to get.

"I read 20,000 words per minute," he said shyly.

"Dang, that's fast. Would have come in handy in medical school," she said.

"Where did you go to med school?" he asked.

"Johns Hopkins."

He seemed impressed. "No wonder you seem to be such a popular doctor."

She smiled. "I do what I can. I'm more interested in what you do."

Spencer smiled and touched the corner of his glasses and he rested his forearm on the table. "Well, I'm part of the Behavioral Analysis Unit. I help to formulate profiles of serial killers that gives law enforcement information that's useful in the apprehension and trial of dangerous individuals."

Ava nodded and sipped at her water. She had to admit, she found it extremely attractive that Spencer worked to stop crimes against humanity.

::::::::::::::

Spencer was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Ava. As they ate dinner, they started to discuss family.

"Your son is probably the cutest kid I've ever met," Ava said with a soft laugh. "And that comes from someone who sees kids every day."

"He's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me," Spencer said.

Ava smiled, a little dimple forming on her right cheek. "That's so sweet. It's obvious how much you love him. It's just too adorable."

Spencer accepted the praise with a grin. "I never thought I'd be the fathering type."

"You seem to be great at it. A lot of kids don't get the kind of love they deserve. It makes me happy to see one who does."

Spencer nodded. "He's changed my life. I never expected to be going home to a child and a dog, but I am. And I definitely never saw myself on a date with a beautiful woman."

Ava blushed and bit her lip. "Wow, flattery," she joked. "You're good, though."

Spencer shook his head. "No, I'm not. I was pretty nervous about tonight."

Ava laughed. "I was too." Her laughter caused her healing wound to ache a little and she winced. "Still getting used to that."

"How are you feeling?"

"Physically improving. Emotionally, I'm pretty angry. Getting shot is so annoying."

Spencer laughed and put his hand over his mouth, glancing at her and laughing again at her perfectly serious expression. "I think anyone who has ever been shot would agree."

"I shouldn't complain though. I'm actually very lucky. This could have been really bad, but it's almost like the bullet curved around all my vital organs perfectly."

Spencer nodded. "I'm glad you're alright. I thought Matt was going to lose it for a while though. He was very scared after seeing that."

"Matt? So he did change his name. Good, I'm glad. I was so worried about him keeping that name. Kids can be so mean to each other and I can tell you right now, he's not going to be very tall."

"Derek has probably already got him training to be a football player."

Ava smiled. "Well, I started teaching my brothers when they were just a few years older than him."

"That's nice of you. You have two brothers, right?"

Ava took a sip of water and then responded, "Actually, I have seven brothers. Five are older than me and then the twins were sort of an uh-oh later on."

Spencer's eyes widened. "So your parents have eight children? That's insane."

Ava grinned and laughed a little. "I can't argue with you there. My older brothers used to give me so much hell, but now they all have daughters so they're getting their payback."

"How many nieces do you have?"

"Nine."

Spencer gasped audibly. "I can't imagine that."

Ava shrugged. "Sane people never can. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Spencer shook his head. "No, I'm an only child."

"Well, if you ever want any brothers I could probably be convinced to give you a few of mine."

Spencer smiled. "I'll let you keep them. You seem to love your family very much."

Ava grinned and played with the scraps of pasta she'd left on her plate. "Family is the most important thing in the world to me."

Spencer found that quite admirable.

:::::::::::::::

Spencer opened the car door for Ava and walked her up to her front door. "I had a great time," he said as she unlocked the door.

Ava leaned against the door. "Me too," she said. "Well…good night."

Spencer was nervous, but he couldn't just let her go. He took a hesitant step forward and she seemed to ease into his arms perfectly. Standing there hugging her, Spencer felt something he'd never imagined could be real; a rush of emotion so strong, it was almost frightening. He didn't want to let Ava go.

He looked down at her face and it was easy to imagine her in his life permanently. His son already adored her and she was a beautiful, wonderful woman. Spencer hadn't felt anything so real before, so right.

He looking into her eyes, realizing for the first time how gorgeously grey they were. Spencer didn't want this to be the end of their night, but he knew that it had to be. He didn't want to rush things with her, but it was hard not to.

They moved slowly, both of them shaking a bit with nervousness. Spencer hadn't really kissed many people before and was afraid he wouldn't be any good at it, but that worry disappeared when his lips met Ava's.

**A/N I owe that last scene to a song called "Just a Kiss" by Lady Antebellum. Not my normal style, but it just fit : )**

**Make my day, leave me a review.**


	12. Chapter 12

Spencer hoped that Matt would still be awake when he got home and sure enough, the boy was in bed but still playing with his teddy bear, making it dance around by holding it's paws. He was humming a tune that he was making up as he went along. Finally, he noticed Spencer lingering in his doorway.

"Daddy!" He jumped up causing the dog at the foot of the bed to give him an annoyed look.

"Did you have fun?" Spencer asked.

Matt nodded enthusiastically. "Where is Ava?"

"She's at her house."

"Oh." Mutt seemed disappointed for a moment, but then perked up. "I think that chicken that is shaped like dinosaurs is better for me because it tastes better because it's dinosaurs!"

Spencer smiled and sat at the edge of Matt's bed. The child leapt into his lap, his bony knee bruising Spencer's thigh, but the man did not complain because the child kissed him on the cheek and hugged him around the neck.

"I'm gonna head out," Morgan said from the doorway, his bag already slung over his shoulder. "But you better tell me all about it soon."

Spencer smiled as Morgan left. Matt laid his head on Spencer's shoulder. "He's nice," the child said. "I had fun with him. Maybe…maybe he can come play with me more and you can go play with Ava again."

"It's bedtime, Matt," Spencer said.

Matt scrunched up his nose in protest, but allowed himself to be tucked in. "Good night," Spencer said, kissing the boy's forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too," Matt said, his eyes starting to droop closed.

Spencer gave his son another good night kiss and then turned to leave.

"Daddy! You forgot Harvey," Matt said with a soft giggle.

Spencer turned around and patted the dog on the head. "Sorry, I forgot you again, Harvey," he said. "Good night."

Matt giggled at that and snuggled up with his teddy bear.

:::::::::::::::::

Matt was in a good mood as he fell asleep, but the nightmare didn't care about that. At first, he thought it was a good dream. Ava was standing there next to his dad and she was saying, "I'm your mommy now, Matt."

Matt reached out for her and then came the sound. The loud crack, the gun shot. Blood spread. Ava was pale, dead looking. "Why did you let that happen to me?" she demanded.

"I'm sorry!" Matt whispered.

His dad turned and walked away from him. Ava fell to the ground, her body surrounded now by the corpses of the children who hadn't survived. "Why did they let you live?" the little girl demanded. "No one wanted you."

"People want me now though…" Matt said, but he felt like he couldn't breathe at all.

"No, they don't," she said derisively. "They want Matt, not you. Not the dirty mutt that no one loves. No one missed you. You should have died."

Matt started to scream.

::::::::::::::::

Spencer rushed into his son's room. The boy was sitting up in his bed, crying. When he saw his dad, he started to cry harder. "I'm sorry," he squeaked.

Spencer put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's alright. Come on, we'll clean it up."

The sheets went into the washing machine and Spencer helped Matt with a quick bath before putting the boy in clean pajamas and carrying the tired child with the dog following closely behind him. "Thank you," Matt said softly, cuddling next to Spencer once the man had eased into the bed. "I'm sorry it happened again."

"I'm not mad," Spencer said. "I'm just worried. I don't want you to have nightmares."

"I don't like them either," Matt said with a sigh. "I wasn't supposed to live, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"The bad place. We all were supposed to die. They just didn't have time to finish me. I sometimes think that maybe I should have died too because its not fair. All them had people that missed them except not me so its not fair."

Spencer pulled the blanket up to Matt's chin. "Well, I don't think it would have been fair to me if anything happened to you because then I wouldn't have such a great son."

"You think that?" Matt asked.

Spencer nodded. "I know it can be hard to understand life sometimes. People do bad things and they really hurt other people. It can be very sad if you don't focus on the good things."

:::::::::::::::::

Spencer turned off the alarm a fraction of a second after it sounded. He glanced down at the child sleeping closely beside him. Slowly and carefully he worked his way out of the bed and settled down in front of his desk to begin writing out the consultations he was so far behind on. He glanced out the window, knowing the sun should be rising, but the sky was still dark with clouds that were threatening rain.

After an hour and a half of working, Spencer had to get a cup of coffee. He glanced at the clock again. He was uncertain if it would be acceptable to call Ava so early. He should have asked Morgan about that before the man left. J.J. had warned him that if he waited too long to call for a second date would be disastrous, but surely calling her at eight thirty in the morning would come off as desperate.

Thunder boomed, causing it to feel as if the entire house were rattling. The green numbers on the microwave clock disappeared.

"Daddy!" Matt shouted from the other room.

Spencer rushed to the boy's side, nearly tripping over the dog as he did so. "It's alright. It's just a thunderstorm."

Matt was crying a little and rubbing his ear. "My ear hurts. There's water in there and it hurts."

"Alright, let's find some medicine to make it hurt less."

Matt wrapped his arms around Spencer's neck and whimpered. Though it was dark and he couldn't see where he was going, Spencer carried his son to the bathroom and squinted at the bottles in the medicine cabinet, feeling for the small bottle of children's aspirin.

The electricity flickered back on and the motion activated night light that Spencer had recently purchased startled him. He located the medication and gave Matt a dose, watching as the boy carefully swallowed the pills down.

"It still hurts," Matt muttered.

Thunder boomed again and Matt jumped, taking Spencer's hand and squeezing it. Spencer gave the child a sympathetic look, remembering his own childhood distaste for thunderstorms as the electricity flickered off again. Thunder sounded again, louder than the previous two times.

"Are we gonna die?" Matt asked quietly and seriously. Spencer could tell his little eyes were wide and frightened.

"It's just a thunderstorm. We'll be fine."

Matt didn't let go of Spencer's hand as the man blindly led the way to a cabinet in the kitchen where he kept the flashlights and candles. His house was rather temperamental and it often took no more than a strong wind and some rain to knock the electricity out.

After some struggles with matches, Spencer had the living room illuminated. Matt sat on the rug, one arm hugging his teddy bear and the other hugging Harvey. The dog, as usual, looked bored and yet protective of the boy.

:::::::::::::::

Ava loved sleeping in. She rarely got the chance to enjoy it. At first she tried to ignore the water dripping from the ceiling onto her forehead. She groaned and cursed and got up, puzzled for a moment at the fact that the water hadn't stopped hitting her. As the fog of sleep lifted, she realized what was going on. She was ankle deep in water. Her entire apartment was soggy. "Fuck my life," she muttered.

::::::::::::::::

Spencer heard his cell phone ringing, but couldn't remember where he'd left it. He mussed Matt's hair as he stood to search for it, answering the call just before it went to voice mail. "Hello?"

"Hey, Spencer," Ava said. "Look, I know I'm breaking the dating code here but its pouring and my apartment is flooded and my parents are out of town. Can I please come crash at your place?"

"Of course," Spencer said, grinning. He gave her his address and heard the digitized male voice of her GPS system.

"I'll be there soon. I hope I'm not imposing."

"Not at all. Matt will be glad to see you."

"Will you?" she teased.

Spencer chuckled a bit. "Yes, I will."


	13. Chapter 13

Spencer debated telling Matt about Ava coming over as he walked back to rejoin his son. He decided seeing the child's look of joy at the surprise would be worth it, especially after the nightmare the night before. It was easy to forget that Matt had been so horribly abused because his child was so innocent and happy seeming. Spencer was worried and he wished that he could take the child's pain away, but he knew the best he could do was just be there.

There was a knock at the door and Spencer smiled. "Go see who it is," he said.

Matt stood up and made his way to the door. Spencer closed his eyes and listened to the sound of little feet on the floor. He never thought he'd hear that sound.

"Ava!" Matt shouted. "It's Ava, Daddy!"

Spencer stood and went to greet her. Matt was still alternating between excited bouncing and excited hugging. Ava grinned at the child and tousled his hair. "Good to see you too, little guy." She pushed the door shut behind her.

Ava looked lovely in the candlelight as she bent down to give Matt a proper hug. "Are you gonna play with me today, Ava?" Matt asked.

"Yes, I am," Ava replied. "I'm really excited about it too." Matt wouldn't release her from his hug so she gently added, "Honey, I'm not strong enough right now to pick you up."

He let go, her wet hair clung to his face and made him wiggle his nose as she stood up. Spencer smiled at her. "I'm glad you made it safely," he said. He hugged her, enjoying the strong smell of flowers from her wet clothes and the heat coming off her skin. "Would you like a towel and some dry clothes?"

"That would be so amazing," she said.

:::::::::::::::::

Ava emerged a short time later. Spencer still found her absolutely stunning, even more so with her damp hair in a ponytail and dressed in a pair of his sweatpants and a plain T-shirt. There was something about how beautiful she really was that couldn't be diminished by anything. Spencer found himself thinking of all the poetry he'd read about beauty, things he'd found foreign at the time, but all those attributes were embodied by the woman in front of him.

She settled onto the floor beside Matt and joined him in his play. Matt handed her the toy dinosaur that Spencer knew was the boy's favorite. The day seemed to fly by. They managed to keep each other busy as the storm calmed down, but the electricity did not return. They ate what they could scrape together and Ava made the experience entirely enjoyable just by being there.

When evening came, Spencer sensed that Matt would be just fine with Ava to entertain him and began to work from the dining room table using a flashlight.

Spencer could still hear them and found himself stopping his work to listen. Ava told stories that Spencer recognized as Greek myths, slightly altered to be child appropriate.

"How come that Odie guy wanted to go home so much?" Matt asked.

"Odysseus wanted to get back to his family. He loved them very much and that's why he fought all those scary monsters," Ava explained. "Just like how your daddy fights bad guys so he can come home and see you."

Matt sighed. "I don't think anyone should love me," he admitted softly.

"Why is that, baby boy?" Ava asked.

"Because," Matt began, his voice faltered and Spencer knew the child was crying now. "Because I'm not good. I'm not smart or big or…or anything. I'm just ugly and dirty nd that's why they hurt me at the bad place."

"Little man, that's not true. OK? Look at me. They hurt you because of something wrong with them, not because of anything you did. You're a beautiful, sweet little boy and your daddy loves you very much. Smile for me, baby boy."

Spencer stood and silently moved to watch the two interact. Matt was in Ava's lap, laying his head on her shoulder. She was rubbing his back and trying to keep him from noticing the tears in her eyes. Spencer knew that it probably hurt her to have the boy laying on her like that, but the fact that comforting him was more important to her made Spencer happy in a way he'd never experienced before.

Matt sniffed and looked up at Ava. "You promise that's true?"

"I promise, little man. Wanna hear another story?"

Mutt nodded and Ava started to tell a censored rendition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Spencer smiled even more. As if her love for his son wasn't attractive enough, she knew 14th century literature.

:::::::::::::::

Matt was fast asleep before Ava realized that Spencer was nearby. He smiled at her and walked over, lifting the slight weight of the child off of her and carrying him away, presumably to his bed.

Ava lightly placed her hand over the aching bullet wound, but the pain there didn't matter in comparison to the sympathetic pain she felt for that hurt child. When Spencer returned and sat next to her, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "What happened to that baby? Who hurt him?"

She was crying openly when Spencer finished telling her about the child traffickers who had abused and exploited the precious child. "It's not right," she said softly as she leaned closer to him. His arm was around her and his chin rested on the top of her head. "It's not right," she repeated, because there were no other words that she could think of to properly express her anger and devastating sadness about what people had done to the little boy she was really starting to care about.

"I've spent years studying the people who harm children and I still don't understand why it happens," he said.

She rubbed her eyes and looked up at him. "He's lucky to have you. I'd hate to think where he'd be if he didn't."

Spencer smiled. "I'm doing the best I can. He deserves that. I just hope it's enough."

Ava rested her head on his shoulder again. "Love is all he needs. He'll be just fine. He's such a great kid."

Spencer nodded. "He's the most amazing thing to ever come into my life. I'm grateful every day."

Ava wiped at her eyes again. "It gives me so much hope to hear you say that."

"Why is that?"

She sighed. "It's probably way too much information."

"You can talk to me."

She looked up at the ceiling as she spoke. "The chances of me having a child of my own are very, very low to the point that it will probably never happen. Of course I want to adopt, but I always worry that I won't be good enough, that somehow I won't be capable of loving that child the right way."

"Do you mind if I give you my opinion?"

"Go ahead."

"In the short time I've known you, I've seen how you are with my son. You love him. You were willing to risk your life for him. There is no way that you would ever be a bad mother. The fact that you even worry about that proves it."

Ava smiled. "Thanks. I just worry about things. One of my many flaws."

"I haven't seen any flaws," Spencer said.

Ava laughed softly. "That was sweet."

"It was just the truth," he said.

"Well, you'll see it soon. I'm just a bunch of flaws sewn together with good intentions."

"You're beautiful that way, then."

"You're quite the charmer, Dr. Reid," Ava said.

The storm started to worsen. Rain was pounding on the windowpanes and thunder rumbled often. The two of them sat on the floor in the living room for a long time, breaking only for Spencer to track down a bottle of wine.

They drank and shared stories, ranging from comical and lighthearted to dark and emotional. Ava talked a lot about her brothers, but Spencer still had trouble remembering their names and the correct order. He was even more lost when it came to all her nieces. She made him laugh with stories of their prank wars, and brought him to silent concern when she told of the time one of her brother's friends had assaulted her. Spencer found himself sharing things he never had before. He talked about his mother's illness, his father's abandonment, and how he was only just learning how much family meant to him.

It was almost irrational to him, how in such a short time he'd gone from single and alone to where he was now. He'd never realized how lonely his life had been, never realized what was lacking. Spencer felt like he would never get bored sitting there talking to her. He started to imagine that as a part of his life. He wanted it. Spencer was pretty sure he was in love with this woman.

**A/N See that button right there, the one that says 'Review this Story'? Do it. It feels good, I promise.**


	14. Chapter 14

Ava woke in a haze of a mild wine-induced hangover. She sat up slowly, feeling around at the unfamiliar bed she was in. "Oh, shit," she whispered, bolting the rest of the way upright. She couldn't decide which hurt worse, her head or her side. Once her vision cleared, she looked around the room. She was alone in the bed. She sighed in relief. She hadn't screwed everything up after all.

The smell of bacon lured her from the bedroom and she found Spencer in the kitchen. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, not turning away from the skillet he was so focused on.

"I did. You didn't have to give up your bed for me," she said.

"It was the right thing to do," he replied.

She leaned on the counter and watched Spencer cook. She pulled her hair to the side and braided it as she spoke. "Do you have to go to work?"

"Yes," Spencer said. "Matt's nanny is going to be late because of the road damage from the storm."

"You could give her the day off," Ava said. "I doubt I can go home yet and I haven't been cleared to work again."

"You're welcome to stay, but you don't have to baby-sit, Ava. You need to relax."

"Matt is probably the sweetest kid ever. I doubt he'll give me any trouble."

Spencer tilted his head to the side and thought about it for a moment.

"I'll beg," Ava added. "I'll do it."

Spencer smiled. "Alright, I'm sure he'll have a great time with you."

:::::::::::::::::

Matt woke up and stretched his arms up above his head. His stomach growled so loudly that Harvey opened one eye and looked at him. Matt looked down, pulling his shirt tight. He poked his ribs and then poked at his stomach. He could tell that he had gained weight, but he didn't feel so bad about it, not like he would have in the past. He didn't feel like it made him ugly.

He slid out of his bed, dragging his teddy bear behind him and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His dog followed closely behind him.

Ava and Spencer were in the kitchen, but Matt was sure that they hadn't seen him. They were standing in front of the stove. Spencer had his hand on Ava's back and Ava was touching Spencer's hair. They were both smiling and staring at each other. Matt didn't know why they were being so weird. He shook his head and pulled out his chair at the table, climbing up to wait patiently for breakfast.

:::::::::::::::

Spencer left for work that morning, accepting that he was going to be late. He smiled for his entire commute and was smiling still when he arrived at his desk. There was something amazing about leaving that morning with a hug from his son and a quick kiss from a beautiful woman. It was even more amazing knowing they would be there when he returned.

His euphoric happiness had to end the moment J.J. gave the details of a series of rapes and murders that had occurred on both sides of the Kansas and Oklahoma border. He prepared his bag and called his house to let Ava know that he was leaving.

"Reid residence," she said as she answered the phone.

"It's Spencer. The BAU is traveling. I don't know when I'll be home. You can call Ann if you want to leave."

"I think I'll stay here with my little man. The landlord said it could be a while and I'm in no rush to see what was ruined."

Spencer smiled. "Alright, Ava. Feel free to use whatever you need to."

"Thanks, Spencer." She hesitated. "Be safe, OK?"

"I will," he replied. Spencer ended the call and stored his phone in his pocket. When he looked up, Morgan was grinning at him.

"How was the date, lover boy?" Morgan asked, still grinning.

"It was nice," Spencer said, trying to be nonchalant, but he couldn't help but grin.

"That wouldn't happen to have been her on the phone, would it?"

"Her apartment flooded. She's watching my son." Spencer blushed. "Stop looking at me like that."

:::::::::::::::

Ava took a dose of ibuprofen before sitting down across the table from Matt. He grinned shyly at her and slumped in his chair.

"Thank you for stayin' with me today," he said.

"We'll have lots of fun," Ava replied with a smile. "What do you think we should do?"

"Can I color pictures?"

"On paper?"

Matt tilted his head quizzically. "Yeah."

"Wouldn't you rather color on some rocks?" Ava asked, grinning.

Matt's eyes got wide. "How do you do that?"

"I'll show you after you eat all your breakfast."

:::::::::::::::::

Spencer stood silently behind Hotch, listening to the tearful story told by a woman who had unknowingly been the last to see her daughter alive. He had to discreetly excuse himself.

It was getting harder and harder to focus on the case now that he had people he really cared about. He saw them in every victim. The women were all pretty brunettes, like Ava. They were all somebody's child. He didn't see how Hotch and J.J. could stand it.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he glanced at it. It was a message from Ava. He stepped outside to watch the attached video and smiled at his son waving at him from the screen.

It was just what he needed.

:::::::::::::::::

Ava watched Matt collect smooth rocks from the garden outside the house with a smile on her face. The child's face was flushed with excitement, not knowing what new adventure awaited. He carried the rocks inside and Ava laid them onto a baking sheet that was lined with foil. She put them in the oven to heat.

"What are we going to do?" Matt asked, nearly jumping up and down.

"Alright, what you need to do is pick a few crayons that aren't your favorites and peel the paper off, alright? Make sure they aren't your favorites because they might melt."

Matt nodded and raced to get some crayons. Ava smiled as she watched him go. She was really loving spending time with him. It was the kind of thing she could imagine doing every day.

Matt sat on Ava's lap and she helped him to keep him from burning his hand as he melted pictures on each of the rocks. She really did love that child.

::::::::::::::

Spencer used his newfound determination to tackle the daunting task of working the map. Each red pushpin blurred into nothingness as he stared at the map. His mind was moving quickly, almost as if on its own, working much to fast for anyone to really comprehend.

Suddenly, it was clear. He ran a black thread, connecting the dots into a formation that mirrored a common trucking route.

::::::::::::::::

Ava's entire right side was sore after her day with Matt and no amount of ibuprofen was helping. She was beginning to think she might have overextended herself. It was all worth it though, just to watch how happy he was. She wanted that child to be happy, after all the pain he'd been through. She winced, remembering their conversation the other night. No child should feel that way. She was bursting with emotion: empathy, anger, hope, sorrow, but the greatest was love for the child.

She put a movie in the DVD player while the child cleaned up his toys. Ava eased herself onto the couch with an ice pack clutched to her side. She bit her lip and let out a frustrated squeal, though she kept it quite.

Matt ran into the room the way four-year-olds do, awkward legs and head precariously leaning forward. He skidded to a stop and jumped on the couch beside Ava, cuddling up to her left side. She didn't even notice or care about the pain.

"I miss my daddy," Matt stated softly.

"He misses you too, honey," Ava said.

"Does he miss you?"

"I like to think so."

"He does because you're pretty and smell nice."

Ava laughed softly.

"Are you going to stay with us now?" Matt asked.

Ava bit her lip. "I don't know, little man. Maybe not for a while."

"I think you should stay."

"Well, I can't promise that I can, but I'll promise that you and me will always be friends. Is that good?"

"Yeah!" Matt snuggled closer to her side.

"Pinkie promise?"

"What's that?"

Ava explained it to Matt and the child held his head high with a sense of importance at the contract being made when they linked pinkie fingers. Ava smiled and laid her cheek on the top of his head as the movie's opening music ended and the story began. She really did want to stay there.


	15. Chapter 15

The night spent in the hotel was fitful for many reasons and Spencer found himself pacing instead of resting. They knew approximately where the next body would be dumped, it was just a matter of catching the UnSub in action. There was nothing they could do to save the current missing woman. That was hard to deal with. The only bright ray in that dark evening was talking to his son on the phone to say good night, but even that made him miss being home.

Matt was very happy to have Ava there with him and seemed to be charmed as ever by her. The child animatedly told Spencer about his colored rocks and all the movies he'd watched with Ava. He was already talking about Ava staying there.

Spencer thought about that for a moment, sitting at the edge of his too-firm hotel mattress. It would be crazy to have Ava move in so soon, but she really did make his home feel complete. He could see himself sitting and talking to her every night. She was intelligent enough to keep up with him and she had a way of making things seem brighter.

::::::::::::::::

"Is Daddy home yet?" Matt asked groggily, sniffling and rubbing at his ear.

"Not yet," Ava said as she added a sprinkle of sugar to the warm blueberry compote she was making to go with the pancakes.

"I want him to be home," Matt sighed.

"He'll come home soon."

"When?"

"I don't know."

"Why not?"

"Because." Ava smiled to herself. Normally, Matt was such a mature child that she loved seeing him act like a typical four-year-old.

Matt drug his feet to the place where the dog food was stored and carefully measured out a cupful for his dog. The old lab mix followed closely behind the child, dutifully snatching up every dropped piece of food on the way to the bowl. "Look what I can do," Matt said, and he dumped the food into the bowl.

"Very good, little man," Ava said. "You're very grown up to be taking care of your puppy like that."

Matt beamed as he put the cup away and then climbed up into his chair at the table. "What are we going to do today, Ava?"

"I'll have to think of something fun," Ava replied.

Matt rubbed at his ear again and put his head down.

"Does your ear hurt, honey?"

Matt nodded and rubbed his ear again, even harder this time.

"Stop that, silly. Let me see," she said, turning the stove off and leaning over to examine his ear. It was obvious that he had an infection. She could tell that Matt was going to be prone to getting them and she winced. "Those dinosaurs sure do like it in there."

Matt sniffled. "Make them get out."

"Let's eat breakfast and then we'll go to my office and I'll get a better look at them."

:::::::::::::::

Spencer would never feel truly comfortable holding a gun. He always had that thought, every time he was called upon to assist. He was trained for it and had gotten fairly decent, but he still never felt completely right. But he saw it as a good thing. He didn't want to get comfortable holding something so destructive.

He followed closely behind Morgan, not wanting to lose the man as they silently searched the roadside for a serial killer disposing of a body. They had to execute it perfectly, the man could not have any idea that they were around. The sun was rising, lending a bit of light as they stealthily moved.

::::::::::::::

Ava found the drops she needed with relative ease, but it took nearly an hour to get out of the office because the nursing staff all wanted to hug her and ask how she was. She didn't mind it though. She loved her work family.

Matt stood by her side, his hand holding on to the strap of her purse. He was fully content the lollipop that he had been given. He was always so calm and polite. Ava was completely taken by the boy. She was starting to think of him more and more as hers. It made the thought of having to go back to an empty apartment even more depressing.

As she was helping Matt into her car, her cell phone rang.

::::::::::::::

"I'm coming home, Ava," Spencer said.

Ava repeated the news to Matt and Spencer grinned at the sound of his son's laughter. "I think he's ready for that."

"It should only be a few more hours."

"Alright, we'll be waiting."

Spencer hung up the phone and found Morgan had been watching the whole time, with that knowing grin on his face. "Be quiet," Spencer muttered as he threw the rest of his clothes into his bag.

"That sounded like a phone call to a wife," Morgan said, ignoring Spencer's request for silence.

"She's just been watching my son. Her apartment was damaged. It made sense."

"Is she going to stay?"

Spencer dropped onto the bed next to his things. "I don't know. Right now, it's too soon for that. I'm afraid it would confuse Matt if things don't work out between us."

Morgan nodded and considered what Reid was saying. "You know, there comes a time when you can't just think things to death. Maybe this is one of those times. You just gotta jump."

"I can't do that."

"You already have, you just don't want to admit it." Morgan grinned again and turned on his heel to leave. "I can see it now…Dr. and Dr. Reid."

Spencer chuckled to himself and zipped his bag closed. Despite his protests, he really did like the idea of just having Ava stay with him permanently. It wasn't rational. In fact, it was probably reckless. But maybe that's what made it so right.


	16. Chapter 16

Matt was laughing and rolling on the floor with his dog, but at the sound of a car door, he was gone in a flash. Ava followed behind him and watched through the window as Spencer caught his son with relative ease. Matt's arms were locked around Spencer's neck and Ava could here Matt say, "I missed you so much. I love you, Daddy. Did you catch that bad guy?"

Spencer closed his eyes and rested his cheek against the boy's hair, saying something too soft for Ava to hear as he set the child on his feet. Matt grabbed Spencer by the hand and started to run. Spencer allowed himself to be dragged into the house. Matt was speaking so quickly, Ava almost couldn't understand him. "And then we made rocks with colors well first they were outside rocks, then we made them oven rocks, now they are color rocks. We melted crayon! And come look at them!"

Ava smiled and Spencer leaned over to give her a quick, shy kiss on the cheek.

Matt sighed and pushed against Spencer's leg. "OK, you hug Ava real fast but then come see my rocks, come see them! They're the best rocks ever I think that all rocks will be like this because me and Ava we'll go find all the rocks, all the rocks. We'll color them all."

Matt showcased each of his little works of art, insisting that Spencer take one. Spencer held the little stone in the palm of his hand, intending to take it to his desk at the BAU. After several more hugs and kisses, and bouncing declarations about how happy he was to have his daddy back, Matt returned to play with his dog on the floor.

"How much sugar did you give him?" Spencer joked with a soft laugh.

Ava shrugged and held up her hands. "He's really convincing," she said. "Besides, what kind of cool babysitter would I be if I didn't spoil the crap out of him and then let you deal with getting him to bed tonight."

Spencer thrust his hands into his pockets and looked a bit nervous as he said, "Maybe you should stay and help me. To be fair."

Ava bit her lip and smiled mischievously. "Wouldn't want to be unfair."

::::::::::::::

It seemed like Matt would never give in to sleep. He kept getting out of his bed for various reasons: he was thirsty, he had to use the toilet, he needed a story, he had to organize his toys, Harvey was thirsty. Finally, Matt fell asleep on his bed, still sitting up. Ava eased his head on to the pillow and Spencer covered the child with a blanket, ensuring that the teddy bear was securely in the boy's arms.

Spencer brewed a pot of coffee, but he was the only one interested in drinking any. Ava opted for hot tea. They prepared their drinks in companionable silence before settling down on the couch.

"I've never had a serious girlfriend," Spencer blurted. "I always focused on my studies and my career. I'm not good with women. I don't know how these types things are supposed to work."

"What type of thing?"

"I really like you. I've never been the kind to…really feel this strongly about another person. I want you in my life, Ava."

Ava pushed her hair behind her ear and set her mug down. She leaned forward on the couch. "You're doing just fine, Spencer." She kissed him lightly. "Keep talking from the heart."

"The heart is just an organ that pumps…"

Ava gave Spencer a look. "Figurative heart, dear. Figurative." She smiled and shook her head with a slight sigh. "That was kind of adorable though."

Spencer still blushed, regardless of her reassurances. "I'm afraid that my lack of experience is going to be a problem."

"It's not," Ava replied. "As long as you stay honest, you'll be fine."

Spencer shifted in his chair and sipped at his coffee. He set the mug down and pushed his hair from his face. He laced his fingers together and leaned toward her slightly. "Ava, you're an amazing woman. You're intelligent and attractive. I love how you treat my son. I feel like with you and Matt in my life now I have everything I never knew I wanted. So…I just wanted to ask you…please stay?"

Ava took Spencer's hand in hers. "You really want me to?"

"Yes."

"I'll stay," she said.

There was a thump from the hallway and they both turned to see a very excited child bouncing around in his pajamas. "Ava's gonna stay!" Matt said to his dog and then he ran to jump between the two of them on the couch.

The two adults carefully set down their drinks and encircled Matt in their arms. He made a soft, content sound and grinned. He felt so warm and safe there, with Spencer and Ava holding him. He felt like nothing bad would ever happen to him again.

"Are we a family?" he asked.

"Yeah, buddy," Ava said. "We're a family." She glanced at Spencer and they were still for a moment, looking each other in the eye. Her decision to stay was already proving to be the greatest one she'd ever made.


	17. Chapter 17

**~~*~~Six months have passed~~*~~**

"What's my surprise?" Matt asked, nervously squirming in Ava's lap.

"Hush, you have to be patient," Ava said, tickling his sides gently and kissing his cheeks as he wiggled and laughed.

"I want to know now," Matt said, twisting around to poke Ava's nose.

Ava wrinkled her nose. "It's coming soon."

"Is that my daddy? What's he got?"

"Be patient," Ava said in a soft sing-song voice.

"But it's no fun," Matt whined, but only in play. The child rarely complained.

Spencer finally appeared in the doorway, an envelope in one hand and the other shoved deep in his pocket. Ava bit her lip and looked him up and down for a moment. He was wearing a purple shirt with a black tie and black vest. It was one of her favorite things for him to wear. He just looked so great in it.

Spencer knelt down in front of Matt. Matt placed his small hands on either side of Spencer's face. "What's my surprise, Daddy?" the little boy said seriously.

Spencer smiled and slid a piece of paper out of the envelope, showing it to the child. Matt read it slowly, mouthing the words as he went along. "What is it?" he asked.

"This is your birth certificate."

"What for?"

Spencer glanced up at Ava. "It's to show that I'm your dad and you're my son. It means we're a family."

Matt wiped at his cheeks. "For real?"

"Yes," Spencer said. "This paper right here means that I've adopted you. You were always my son from the day you came to live with me, this just means that now the whole world knows it."

Matt lunged forward, hugging Spencer's neck tightly. "I like this surprise," he mumbled, squeezing tighter.

Spencer patted the boy's blond hair and kissed the side of his head. "I like it too, son."

Matt gave Spencer another squeeze and then leaned back to smile at Ava, including her in the celebration. The child laughed and tears of joy lingered in his eyes. Seeing that piece of paper that meant he belonged to someone was the happiest moment in his short life.

"Wasn't that worth waiting?" Ava teased, then she kissed his cheek. "I'm so happy for you, little man. You're really special."

Matt blushed and buried his face in her side. "Thank you," he mumbled.

Ava glanced at Spencer, who was still kneeling in front of her. She smiled at him and patted the seat beside her. "Join us, it's nice up here," she joked.

He reached into his pocket.

::::::::::::::

Spencer felt the sharp corners of the ring box, slowly pulling it out. He was more nervous than he'd ever been. Compared to this, defending his dissertation, going through the interview process to become an FBI agent, that was all easy. She gasped when she saw the box.

Spencer took a deep breath and began to speak. "Ava Adele, I never knew that I could be this happy. I'm so lucky to have met you. Now that the adoption is final, I think Matt and I would both agree that our family wouldn't be complete without you." He opened the box, revealing the simple ring inside. The ring that he had agonized over choosing, with the help of Morgan and Garcia. The diamond caught the light and sparkled in the box as he finally worked up the courage to ask, "Will you marry me?"

::::::::::::::

Ava felt like she literally couldn't breathe. Her hand lingered in front of her mouth as Spencer spoke. Her heart was hammering. "Oh, my…" she whispered. "I…yes." She laughed in disbelief. "Yes, yes, I'll marry you."

Spencer gently took her left hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze before sliding the ring on her finger. She didn't take a moment to examine it, instead choosing to propel forward to hug him much like Matt had earlier. The three of them tumbled to the floor.

Matt laughed in delight, jumping onto the back of Harvey. The dog had been napping nearby and regarded their joy lazily, opening one eye and wagging his tail a bit to show he approved.

Ava was finally able to stop hugging Spencer long enough to prop herself up and look at him. She pushed her long brunette hair out of the way and looked at the ring on her finger for the first time. She nearly squealed at how perfect it was. It was classic, a white gold band with a modest sized, princess cut diamond. She could hardly believe it was on her finger. The whole moment seemed surreal. She leaned forward, kissing Spencer gently, her hair falling around them as she moved her arms to hold his shoulders tightly.

Matt giggled from his spot on the floor. He poked Harvey and pulled at his ears. "Look at them," he said. "They're kissing." He prolonged the syllables of the word 'kissing' and ended it by sticking his tongue out and giggling.

Ava reached out and pulled the child close to them. She started kissing his cheek rapidly and Matt squealed with laughter. "Daddy, save me," he said.

Spencer smiled at the two most important people in his life. "I'm sorry, Matt," he said. "She's just too strong for me."

"That's right," Ava said. She tickled Matt's side, sending him further into fits of laughter.

Matt's face was pink from laughter, all of his little white teeth visible as he grinned. "Momma, it's not fair! You're bigger," he finally managed to say through the laughter.

Ava gasped softly at the title and saw Spencer break into a wide smile as well. Matt swung his little arm, his hand lightly grazing her shoulder. "Oh, you got me," she said, flopping back. "I've been defeated."

Matt laughed and scrambled over Spencer to get to her. The child jabbed at her side, trying to replicate tickling. It hurt a bit, but Ava didn't care. She held up her hands in surrender, laughing. "You got me, baby boy. You got me. You win."

Matt was content with his victory and settled down between the two adults. "I like our family," he said.


	18. Chapter 18

Spencer was pretty sure he was going to need a chart to remember all of Ava's family members. Of course he had already spoken extensively with her mother and father since Garcia had demanded he adhere to tradition and ask their permission to propose to her. Of course he remembered her two younger brothers, Mitch and Jacob. However, remembering the names of the other five brothers was proving difficult and differentiating between all nine of her nieces was something he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to do.

The loud, comfortable insanity of such a large family dinner was a shock for Matt and Spencer. The boy clung to Spencer's side, his eyes wide as he watched laughing, fighting, talking, fussing, hugging, and games going on all around him.

"You can join them if you want," Spencer said, gesturing to three of Ava's younger nieces.

Matt shook his head. "I don't think I want to."

"You don't have to be nervous," Spencer said. He was a bit concerned and hoped that Matt would eventually show interest in playing with the other children. Spencer didn't want Matt to have the same experiences he'd had, being too socially awkward to enjoy his school years.

"I don't think they'll like me," Matt admitted softly.

"I'm sure they will. You won't know unless you try."

"I don't wanna try today," Matt said, holding on tighter to Spencer's arm.

"That's alright." Spencer put his arm around his son and gave the boy a small smile.

Ava came into the room, thoughtlessly lifting her glass above the heads of two little girls racing by and shouting an insult over her shoulder at one of her older brothers. She sat next to Spencer, resting her head on his shoulder. "So, how are my men doing?" she asked.

"Your family is loud," Matt said.

"It's your family too now," Ava replied. "Families grow. Mine more than most."

Spencer smiled as Matt climbed into Ava's lap to learn more about the large family that he was now a part of. Spencer couldn't help but feel that her words were targeted at him as well as his son. The night before, they had been talking about how Spencer's father left. Spencer admitted things to her he hadn't even admitted to himself. Deep down, he'd always longed to be surrounded by people who loved him but had convinced himself he would never have that.

"There are all kinds of families," Ava concluded, lightly kissing Matt's forehead. "Some have just a daddy, or just a mommy, or a mommy and a daddy, or a daddy and a daddy, or a mommy and a mommy. Sometimes it's a grandpa or a grandma. The important thing is your family will always love you and you should always feel safe with them."

Matt nodded slowly. "Can…can you go with me?" he asked.

"Sure, I'll take you to play with your cousins," Ava replied.

Spencer watched Ava lead Matt by the hand and he shyly joined in their game. At first the child seemed nervous, but soon he was laughing along with the girls. Ava watched over them with a maternal eye, laughing along. Her eyes met Spencer's for a moment and again he felt that she was perfect in everyway.

He observed the interactions of the family around him. The seven brothers and their father talked about everything from sports to politics, the older men setting an example for the twins. The wives of the brothers formed a circle with their mother-in-law, sharing stories and tips about cooking and cleaning and child-rearing.

It was beautiful, each member offering some component of a beautiful work of art. Spencer knew it was something to be cherished.

He excused himself from the hectic scene, stepping into the yard and pulling out his cell phone. He dialed the number hesitantly, though he had no doubt that he remembered it correctly. He'd gotten the number, with promises of keeping in touch, but of course it hadn't happened.

The phone rang and Spencer's breath was so caught up in his throat he was worried he wouldn't be able to talk. The person on the other line picked up. "Hello…Hello?"

Spencer cleared his throat. "Uhm…Dad?"

"Spencer?"

Spencer cleared his throat again. "Yeah, it's me…Dad, I'm getting married."

**A/N So, within the next few chapters there's going to be a Criminal Minds wedding! Leave me a review (:**


	19. Chapter 19

Spencer returned after a short, but cathartic, talk with his father. The man that had been absent from all other big events in his life had pledged that no matter what, he would be there for the wedding.

Spencer found himself enveloped in the warmth of the Adele family as they sat down to eat. He started trying to memorize who was who of Ava's many siblings, but it was difficult to keep it all right.

Her father, Hank, had recently retired after forty years of running a private veterinary practice. Her mother, Mary Ann, who had been a housewife her entire life, though she made a modest amount of money selling quilts.

Ava's oldest brother, Steven, was a lawyer and his wife, Diane, had recently decided to start her own floral business. They had three daughters. The oldest was Shelby and she was about to turn thirteen, though she looked much older because of the sophistication she had acquired competing in beauty pageants. Second was Ashley, a science whiz at the age of ten who had already won statewide recognition for her intelligence. The youngest was Madison, who was eight and still insisted on wearing the gold medal she had one for gymnastics.

The second oldest of Ava's brothers was Mark. He was a bit of a character; he and his wife Daisy considered themselves jazz musicians. Their twelve year old daughter Iris was following in their footsteps and was reportedly an amazing saxophone player. The three of them occasionally performed together in local coffee shops and had become quite the local novelty.

Robert, the third eldest, was a police officer and by far the friendliest of the brothers. His businesswoman wife, Sharon, had just recently returned to work, having taken off for quite sometime to raise their seven-year-old twins Eliza and Avery. Both girls had taken an interest in competitive cheerleading and had broken a glass in their eagerness to show off.

Fourth was Adam, who had by far the most interesting career as the owner of an 80's themed bowling alley. He had seen the operation through from the beginning and it was apparently very popular. He'd met his wife, Marissa, in the process because she was the architect who had designed the building. Their oldest child was a budding artist and a painting by the ten-year-old artist Taylor adorned the wall of the hallway. Six-year-old Amanda was very quiet, though Spencer had been told it was because she was jealous about not being the youngest in the family anymore.

The closest in age to Ava was Jeremy, who coached high school baseball while his wife, Amy, taught math. Their daughter Emma had gone a different route from her parents and at the age of nine was the youngest in her grade to win a story writing competition.

They were all so close that Spencer wondered how he would ever fit in. However, he found himself welcome and embraced into the family.

::::::::::::::

Though he hated that duty called, he left that morning for work with a smile on his face. He was genuinely and deliriously happy. He didn't even mind the questioning from his colleagues and gladly repeated for them just how many siblings his future wife had and how many nieces he would be acquiring.

And though the case they were about to work left him with a sick feeling, he found that it didn't quite get to him in the way it might have before. As he stared down his map, searching for a pattern in the serial rapist's activities, he found that the darkness wasn't all consuming. There was too much light in his life for it to happen.

:::::::::::::

Ava's stomach turned at the smell of the pizza in the break room so she hardly did her proposal story justice. After everyone had seen the ring she picked up the box. "How long has that been in here?" she asked with a wrinkled nose after the hugs and congratulations had poured in.

The new nurse on staff shrugged and claimed she didn't know.

Ava gagged a bit. "Someone needs to get that out of here."

As the day progressed, Ava had a feeling that she was going to be spending the night staring at the toilet rather intently.

:::::::::::::

"Damn, our Reid's all grown up," Morgan said as he set a box of crime scene photos on the table behind Spencer.

Spencer blushed at the comment and placed another pushpin on the board, yellow to indicate that the case there was possibly connected to the ones in red that were for sure. "I'm going to ignore that. Thanks again though for helping me pick the ring."

"You looked so nervous, I wasn't sure you were actually going to go through with it," Morgan commented.

Spencer shrugged in concession. He had been a bit of a wreck in the days leading up to his proposal. He found himself wondering for a moment why anyone would want to be with him and fearing that Ava would be gone forever if he was making a mistake. "She's amazing. I had to try."

Morgan patted Reid's shoulder a few times in a brotherly fashion. "I'm proud of you, Reid. It takes a man to be the head of a family."

::::::::::::

Matt lingered by the door, holding on to Harvey's collar. Ava made another one of those bad sounds the toilet flushed. "Ava," Matt whispered through a crack in the door.

"I'm OK, little man," she said. "You don't have to hide."

Matt pushed the door open and sat down on the floor next to Ava. "Why are you doin' that?" he asked.

"I don't feel good, honey. I'm sick."

"Dinosaurs?"

Ava nodded. "Yeah, sweetie. I'm sorry. I think I'm starting to feel better though. Do you want to watch a movie?"

"You don't look better," Matt said.

Ava chuckled. "Well, I'll be alright. I promise."

"I can take care of you," Matt said excitedly. "I think I know how. I'm gonna be a doctor, you know. And a FBI and a football player and also play band."

"You don't have to take care of me," Ava replied.

"Please? I know how."

Ava smiled and fought off a wave of nausea. She was really hoping it was only a twenty-four hour bug. She let Matt lead her by the hand and tuck her in to bed. The child drug out his new toy doctor set and poked and prodded her with all the plastic tools before falling asleep next to her.


	20. Chapter 20

Spencer had to shove the worry to the back of his mind. Despite her insistence that she was fine, Spencer could hear in her voice that she wasn't feeling well at all. He rested his head on the window of the dark colored SUV and waited for the crime scene to come into view.

"Seems like this neighborhood is pretty lax on security," Morgan commented.

"No street lights, don't appear to be any dogs either. It's just far enough outside of town that there's not much of a police presence," Spencer elaborated. "We originally thought our UnSub was going after middle aged widows as a projection of his own mother, but what if it's also because they're easier targets. That could indicate issues with confidence."

Morgan nodded. "He felt undermined by his mother, so though this is his way of lashing out at her, but he can't take a risk."

"So why is he taking risks now?" Spencer asked. After a moment of silence he shifted in his seats. "Maybe his mother is dead…"

Morgan thought for a moment, then started to think out loud. "She died before he could stand up to her. But now, he's finding that even with her gone he still feels inferior. So he's seeking a way to escape."

Reid dialed a number on his cell phone and spoke with Garcia as Morgan went to check out the crime scene. "Garcia, can you find men in the area with a record of sexual offenses who have recently deceased mothers?"

"You question my abilities?" Garcia teased.

::::::::::::

Ava groaned and said a hurried, "Sorry, honey," to Matt as she dove out of the bed and flew to the toilet. She pushed her hair back as the nausea passed. She groaned and stood slowly, clutching her rumbling stomach as she grabbed the phone and called in sick to work.

She leaned on the counter and let out a slow breath before filling a glass with water. It would do her no good to get dehydrated. She just hoped that she could keep down water.

::::::::::::

Spencer waited for the files to arrive on his phone. His mind wandered back to Ava and Matt. It was two months until the wedding date that was fast approaching, but they didn't want to wait any longer.

The files arrived and Spencer scanned them on the small screen. Three men met the criteria of their search. He knew that the day must be spent examining each of them in order to prevent another attack when night came.

:::::::::::

Ava was finally feeling much better. That evening, she was able to hold down some chicken soup and spent the rest of the night wrestling around on the floor with Matt and his dog.

She was glad she wasn't sick anymore. As a doctor, she found her own sickness rather irritating.

:::::::::::::

Spencer stood with his arms crossed, watching the interrogation as it unfolded. It looked promising and Spencer was relieved. He was glad there would be no more victims, and even more glad that he would be home soon.

::::::::::::::

Just when she thought things were getting better, Ava found herself relapsing. Once Matt was in his bed, she settled down on the couch with a cold washcloth. "This is hell," she groaned.

She mentally went over the list of things that could possibly be wrong with her: food poisoning, gastroenteritis, appendicitis, peptic ulcer, maybe even toxic shock syndrome. She wanted nothing more than to call her mom, but Ava knew what she would say. Frankly, it would be too painful to hear.

:::::::::::::::

Spencer reluctantly settled down for another night in the hotel room. He was finding that the phone conversations weren't enough. He wanted to be home to take care of Ava. Matt seemed very scared on the phone about Ava's sickness. Spencer had reassured his son that she was going to be alright. The child seemed scared and had ended the conversation with a quiet plea, "Daddy, come home soon."

Spencer had been holding a pen above paper, intending to write a letter to his mother, but he found that the words wouldn't flow. He leaned back in the desk chair and ran a hand through his hair.

::::::::::::::

Matt was bouncing by the window, having abandoned his oatmeal the moment Ava mentioned his dad would be home that morning.

"Matt, baby, finish your breakfast," Ava said. "He'll get home soon, but you still need to eat."

"But you're not eating," Matt complained.

"I still don't feel good. Honey, just sit down and finish up. You have to eat healthy foods if you're going to be a football player."

"And a FBI and a doctor and a band player and a monster truck," Matt added.

"Sit down, my multi-talented little man," Ava said, grinning though another wave of nausea passed over her. It was starting to fade as it had the day before. Ava was debating between getting her textbooks out of storage to try to diagnose herself or going to see a doctor, which she didn't see the point in considering she was perfectly capable of figuring it out herself.

:::::::::::::

Spencer grinned as he turned onto his street. He always looked forward to going home. Matt's greetings were just one of the many things he loved about being home.

This time his son was running toward him before he'd even killed his car engine. Spencer quickly bent down to lift his son up over his head. The boy laughed in delight and kicked his feet a little. "Daddy, we missed you!" Matt said loudly. "Me and Momma, we missed you."

Spencer hugged his child and carried him to the door. Ava was smiling beautifully, but Spencer could tell that she definitely had been exaggerating about feeling better. He put his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead. "Are you sure you feel alright, dear?" he asked.

"I'm getting there," she said. "Don't worry. You and I need to start wedding planning. It's coming soon, sick or not."

Spencer grinned at the thought of marrying the beautiful woman. Even with her hair pulled back in a sloppy bun, no make up, sweatpants, and what he was sure was one of his shirts, she was still more beautiful than any woman he'd ever seen.

"Daddy, why are you lookin' at her like that?" Matt said, poking Spencer's cheek.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N And now…for the wedding of the century!….part 1. Hope I do it justice.**

Ava stared at her face in the mirror as her mother zipped the back of her gown. The wedding was very casual, fitting both of their styles. Her dress was knee length and stylish. She sat and let Spencer's friend, Penelope, start to fix her hair.

Matt ran into the room, looking absolutely endearing in his little tux. "My tie is broken again," he announced, holding up the ice blue silk that was a smaller version of Spencer's tie.

Ava smiled and asked, "Can one of you help my little guy out?" she said.

"Come here," Ava's mother said. "Let Grandma fix it." Ava grinned, watching her mom dote over her only grandson.

"Where's my little girl?" Ava's father said as he walked into the room.

Ava couldn't resist smiling. Penelope moved away and gave Ava time to hug her father.

::::::::::::

Spencer took his time with his tie in front of the mirror, slowly and deliberately making the knot as perfect as possible. He looked out the window over the Adele's backyard, as the chairs were being set up in rows and white fabric on the arch billowed in the breeze.

Morgan clapped a hand onto Reid's shoulder. "You ready for this, kid?" he asked.

Reid grinned. "Of course. I just hope I'm still able to speak when I see her in her dress."

Reid looked into the mirror once again and paused when a figure appeared behind him in the reflected image.

"Mom," he said. "You look great." Spencer couldn't help but have a bit of an emotional reaction. His mother, who normally spent her days in pajamas and a bathrobe, was dressed in a grey and blue dress that made her look like the wise woman he knew she was.

"So do you," his mother replied. "I'm so glad this day has come. Where's Ava? I'd like to finally meet that delightful girl in person."

Morgan stepped forward. "I'll show you to her."

As Morgan and Spencer's mother left, another person stepped through the door.

Spencer felt his face grow hot. "Dad…"

"I promised I'd be here, son," his father said.

Spencer nodded. "I remember. I just…I suppose I don't know how to react."

::::::::::::::

Ava hugged her soon to be mother-in-law the moment she saw her. "It's so great to meet you," she said.

The woman held Ava at arms' length and examined the young bride. "You treat my son right, Ava."

"Of course," Ava replied. They shared a look for a moment. Ava glanced around the room. "I would introduce you to your grandson, but I think he's run off somewhere already. He's very excited."

"There will be plenty of time for me to meet him later today," she said.

::::::::::::::

Matt wasn't sure he was allowed to be in the room once he skidded to a stop. His dad was talking to a man and they both seemed very serious. Matt backed away. Spencer turned toward him and gave him a small smile, holding his arms open. Matt rushed forward and felt himself being lifted up.

"Dad, this is my son," Spencer said.

Matt rested his cheek against Spencer's shoulder and looked at the man. "Hi," he whispered.

"Hello," the man responded.

Matt giggled and hid his face. "Who's that guy, Daddy?"

Spencer held on to Matt tighter. "This is my dad."

Matt nodded in understanding. "Oh, so you have a dad too, Daddy? Like I do?"

Spencer gave the man a quick look. "Not exactly the same."

:::::::::::::::

Ava stood at the door, with her father by her side. She knew that on the other side waited her new life, as Spencer's wife and Matt's mother.

She stepped out onto the grass, her arm linked with her father's. She smiled at Spencer and he smiled back. She brushed a stray hair aside and a tear of joy fell as they approached.

:::::::::::

Spencer looked out over the small, intimate gathering. His eyes lingered on the most important people in his life.

Hotch was placing a calming hand on his son, Jack's, back. He looked the same as always and only Spencer and others who knew him well could see how proud he was of the youngest member of the team. Rossi was next to him gazing up at Reid in a paternal way. Penelope had already started to cry tears of joy and Morgan sat beside her, most likely making jokes judging by the size of his grin. Emily Prentiss was clutching her handbag, her happiness showing more in her eyes than anywhere else. J.J. was next to her, fussing over the little bowtie she had put on her son.

Spencer was grateful. Though his team hardly resembled Ava's group of siblings and nieces, they were still his family.


	22. Chapter 22

Ava had been patient through all the vows, her hands shaking when they exchanged rings. She couldn't take it anymore.

"You may now…" the officiate began, but was interrupted when Ava launched herself into Spencer's arms with a joyful laugh.

The gathered crowd busted out in laughter, but for a moment, it was just the two of them as they shared their first kiss as man and wife.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present…Dr. and Dr. Reid," the officiate said.

There was more laughter and clapping. Matt ran from his seat in the front row to join his parents. They lifted him up, holding him in between them. The little boy loved when that happened, he loved feeling safe. Nothing could hurt him when he was there, with both of them holding him like that.

The newlyweds moved from one guest to another to receive their well-wishes as the chairs were moved to surround the tables and the caterers started to set out the buffet.

Hotch approached, firmly shaking Spencer's hand. "Congratulations," he said.

"Thank you," Ava said as he shook her hand as well. She set Matt on the ground, growing tired from holding him up.

Hotch nudged his son forward. "Jack, this is Matt."

"Hi," Jack said.

Matt backed away shyly, tugging at Ava's skirt to hide his face. "Hi," he replied.

Ava glanced at Spencer and they smiled at their son. "You can go play if you want to," Ava said. "There are some cool swings over there. Better get to them before your cousins do."

Matt looked up at his parents. Spencer helped the boy out of his jacket and tie and Matt raced toward the swings, shouting, "C'mon, Jack."

Jack followed after peeling off his formal jacket and throwing it towards his dad. The proud parents watched the boys for a while before returning to their conversation.

"Thank you for being here," Ava said.

"It's an honor," Hotch replied.

Penelope appeared, hugging Spencer and Ava. She let out a slight, excited squeal. "I'm so happy for you two!" she said loudly. She looked as if she wanted to say more, but instead just hugged them again.

Morgan shook Reid's hand. "Congrats," he said. "You certainly picked a beautiful woman."

Ava smiled humbly and put her arm around Spencer. "I'm just lucky he was willing to look past the fact that I'm horrible at chess."

They laughed and the three of them moved on to allow others to speak to the happy couple.

"Spence," J.J. said, looking as if she might cry. "You look so happy. Congratulations."

"Thanks," Spencer said. "I am happy."

J.J. grasped Ava's hand to look at the ring and gave her a smile. "I'm so glad he found you, Ava."

Henry started to whine from J.J.'s arms and she kissed his chubby cheek. "I have to go find Will. He's got the bag."

"Thanks for being here," Ava said as J.J. stepped away.

Spencer took advantage of the brief moment alone to kiss his wife. "They all see how happy you've made me," he said. "I hope you never forget that."

Ava smiled. "I won't. Because you've made me every bit as happy."

"I hope we aren't interrupting," Rossi joked. The newlyweds separated slightly and Spencer shook his hand while Ava accepted a surprising hug from Prentiss.

"You look great," Emily said.

"Thank you," Ava replied. "All of you are too kind."

Rossi shook Ava's hand. "It takes a certain kind of person to be with a member of the BAU. You're part of the team now."

Ava smiled and gave Rossi a quick hug. "Thank you so much."

"So, this is my daughter-in-law," Spencer's father said.

Rossi and Prentiss both gave Spencer a look to ascertain that he was comfortable before heading toward the food.

"Ava, this is my dad," Spencer said.

"Hello, Mr. Reid," Ava said, shaking his hand stiffly. All that she knew about her new father-in-law was how painful it was for Spencer to describe how he left.

Spencer could tell that his father was a bit uncomfortable and he couldn't blame him. Spencer had only argued with Ava once, after a thoughtless comment led her to feel that he was questioning her intelligence. He learned from that experience that when Ava was upset at someone, she had a way of showing it in everything she said or did. She wasn't rude by any means, but her usual warmth faded and even to someone who had never met her, it was obvious that it wasn't there.

"Thanks again for coming, Dad," Spencer said, trying to show Ava that she didn't have to give his father the cold treatment.

"It was wonderful to meet your new wife and your son," he said. "I need to go though, I'm afraid something's come up at work."

Ava huffed a bit at his mention of leaving. "Nice to meet you," she said.

As he left, Spencer put his arm around Ava. "You could have been nicer," he said gently.

Ava sighed. "I'm sorry. I should go apologize." As she said that, she saw Spencer's father drive away. "I really didn't mean to be rude. I just…all I could think about was how he hurt you."

"I'm forgiving him for that," Spencer said.

"Doesn't mean I have to," Ava teased. "No one hurts my husband."

"I'm lucky to have such a caring wife," Spencer replied.

They both grinned at finally being able to call each other by those titles.

Spencer's mother approached, along with the nurse that was assisting her with her outing. She looked a bit more uncomfortable and tired than she had earlier. "Spencer," she said, smiling wearily.

"Mom, you look tired. You should sit down."

She shook her head. "No, I need to congratulate my son and my new daughter-in-law." She hugged both of them.

"Thanks so much, Diana," Ava said. "I'm so glad I finally got to meet you." She gave Spencer's mother a brief kiss on the cheek. "I think my parents are over there. Introduce yourself. I know they're excited to meet you."

Spencer watched his mother go to sit with his in-laws. "Thank you," he said. "She really wants to be a part of this."

"She will be," Ava said.

Matt ran to his father. "Daddy, this is so fun. Can you get married every day?"

The newlyweds laughed. "I'm glad you're having fun," Spencer said.

"Jack and me are gonna be best friends now. He said so."

Ava kissed her son. "Are you hungry, sweetheart?"

"Yeah!"

Ava made a plate for Matt and one for herself, sitting at the table of honor with Spencer beside her and Matt in her lap. She held him close with one arm and ate with her free hand.

"I think this is a bit off," she said, setting down a piece of chicken before even taking a bite.

Spencer put his arm around Ava's shoulder. "I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Ava, you've been getting sick on and off for a while. I think it's time you saw someone."

Ava sighed. "Let's not worry about that now. You just need to make sure you can keep up with me when the first dance rolls around."


	23. Chapter 23

Ava knew it was just a part of the job, but she was still saddened when Spencer was called away to work on their third night as newlyweds. As luck would have it, just as Spencer was leaving, Matt started to cry out from his room.

"Honey, it's me," she said, sitting at the edge of his bed as he thrashed beneath the covers. "Wake up, baby boy."

The frantic movements stopped, but Matt kept his head beneath the blanket. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You want to come out?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Matt sniffed and moved a bit, Ava assumed to wipe his face. "I'm 'barrassed."

"You don't have to be embarrassed, little man. Come tell Ava what's wrong."

"Bad dreams, Momma."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of. You can tell me anything, honey. I'll just wait here until you feel ready."

There was a long moment of silence. Matt stirred a bit. "You still there?"

"Of course," Ava replied.

A shaggy head of blond hair appeared from beneath the blankets. The child crawled into Ava's lap. "I dreamed how they hurt me. It made me bleed."

"Well, baby, that's just a dream. You're safe now. And if any bad guys come here, I'll beat them up."

Matt giggled and the sniffled. "Will not."

"Of course I will. I'm very scary."

"Are not. You're pretty not scary."

::::::::::::::

Spencer hated that he couldn't be at the doctor with Ava. Instead, he had to make due with looking at wedding pictures on the plane. The BAU was dealing with a cop killer and it was always harder to work through it when another member of the law enforcement family was lost. He lingered, staring at his favorite picture: a candid shot of the two of them looking at each other while dancing for the first time, both smiling at his lack of grace, with Matt grinning, held up between them.

"That's a good one," Morgan commented. "How you holding up?"

"I keep feeling like I should be there for her at the doctor today."

"Don't worry too much," Morgan said with a wink.

:::::::::::::

Ava knew she was a difficult patient. She had asked to be allowed to do her own ultrasound, earning a roll of the eyes from Dr. Anastasi.

She fidgeted around, trying to get a good view of the screen. "Oh, God, is that a tumor?" She jerked the screen towards her as the mass moved. A heartbeat filled the room. Ava let out a breath of disbelief. "My tumor has a heartbeat?"

"You're pregnant. I'd guess about twelve weeks."

"But…I'm not supposed to be able to…" She fell back against the bed, closing her eyes and laughing at the tears rolling down her face.

**A/N Sorry about that semi-sad moment, but this story was getting so sweet I was afraid it might send someone into diabetic shock.**


	24. Chapter 24

Ava sat in the car, her hands still shaking so bad that she couldn't dial her phone. Joy mixed with dread in an absolutely debilitating way.

She was going to have a baby, carry a little life inside of her. Have the joy of seeing Spencer and herself combined into something perfect. It was against the odds. And she didn't know how long that would last. Because of the scarring and complications from her childhood accident, she had an increased risk of a myriad of complications, including premature labor, if not miscarriage.

Finally, she managed to dial, but she only reached his voice mail. She didn't want him to find out via a recording. She wanted to hear his reaction so she could gauge how she could react. Though she was the doctor, Spencer would know the statistics better. He always did.

::::::::::::

Spencer intended to call Ava back the moment he had the chance, but from the moment they arrived at the police station, there just wasn't any time. Another murder had occurred during the plane ride, meaning the UnSub may have upped his kill rate from once every two or three days to daily. This particular murder had send the department into chaos as the deceased was considered to be the next in life for the title of Chief, making it difficult to get adequate information.

The preliminary autopsy made it appear as though the man had been shot in the knee to disable him and then mangled by a vehicle. This was the second murder in that fashion. Their UnSub had developed a signature.

"Could the vehicle be symbolic?" J.J. asked, setting down a box of donuts.

"Possibly. The UnSub may feel as if he's been run over, so to speak," Spencer said, after a brief moment wondering where J.J. had gotten donuts so late in the day.

"That would support our theory that he is a young man rejected by the Academy," Rossi added.

Morgan reached across the table and dialed Garcia. "Baby girl, can you pull all rejects from the Academy within the past five years?"

"Can I? Yes. It's time that's the issues, lovelies."

Morgan grinned. "Let us know when you have it."

"Reid, can you compile a geographical profile?" Hotch asked.

Spencer shoved his phone back into his pocket, disappointed that he hadn't escaped.

::::::::::::

Ava felt a little crazy while she was waiting for the results of her at-home pregnancy test. It was the second one she had taken, having bought several. She knew it was stupid, but she liked seeing the little plus that reminded her that she really was pregnant and it wasn't just a dream.

"Momma!" Matt called from the living room. "My movie is over."

Ava left the restroom and hugged her son. She couldn't imagine her life could hold anymore perfection. She looked at her wedding picture in its new frame and kissed Matt on the top of the head. "I love you so much, little guy. You're absolutely perfect."

Matt giggled. "I love you too, Momma. Can we play chess?"

Ava laughed and sighed. "It's not fair that even you can beat me. I shouldn't have let your dad teach you."

"I only wanna win once," Matt said, holding his head high with confidence.

"Let Harvey outside first, then we'll play," Ava said. Matt ran to do as he was told and Ava went to stare at the little pink plus sign for a while.

::::::::::::

Spencer drew a circle on the map with a marker, encircling all the push pins. His usual routine dictated that he would get a cup of coffee, but instead he darted outside to finally call Ava.

"Spencer," she said, answering before the second ring.

"Ava, I'm sorry. I've been so busy. I feel awful I wasn't able to call you. What did the doctor say?"

"Spencer, I have some really great news…I'm pregnant."

Spencer gasped, his eyes starting to water. "Ava…"

"I didn't think it was possible either but…" She laughed and Spencer could tell she was crying. "Spencer, we're having a baby."

Spencer's words were cut short as he turned, noticing blinding headlights coming his direction. His phone flew from his hand as the impact sent him down onto the asphalt.

**A/N Writing 101: Story too fluffy? Hit Reid with a car.**

**Review please!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I was swept up in a love story of my own. I got married on New Year's Eve to my military man who was just back from Iraq. So, I've been busy, but without further ado, the next chapter(:**

Spencer stared at the image in front of him, what had for the longest time been the last one he had of his father. The man was turning his back, walking away from his wife and child. As young as he was, Spencer tried to be strong.

He felt like he was spinning and suddenly, he was the one walking away. His wife and child were behind him.

"No," he said. "No!"

And yet it was like he wasn't in control. He kept walking, leaving them behind.

"That's not me," he whispered.

He felt his heart pounding and he was sweating. The air he was breathing felt like it was liquid. "That's not me," he said, his voice growing louder. "I'm not leaving!" His eyes flew open, though he didn't remember closing them. The light above him was blinding. A blurred figure came into focus. "Ava…"

His wife smiled at him. He could tell she had been crying. She stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. "I know you're not leaving, honey. Calm down, it's alright."

He stared at Ava for a moment. "You should sit down. You're pregnant."

She smiled and then dissolved to laughter. "Spencer…I'm so glad you're OK."

:::::::::::::::

Spencer was determined to heal quickly. He didn't care if his body thought otherwise. He had so much he needed to be active for that being held down by a fractured pelvis was not an option. Matt was a bundle of energy and morning sickness had Ava hunched over the toilet a majority of the time. Spencer wanted to help her.

Though it was about a week before his evaluation with a doctor, Spencer rose from his wheelchair. He made sure to do it in the BAU office. The wrath of his colleagues would be nothing compared to Ava's if she knew he planned to ignore the doctor's orders. He took a few stiff, painful, awkward steps before stumbling back into the wheelchair.

"Take it easy, kid," Morgan said, jogging a few steps to help the younger man settle into the wheelchair. "It's only been two weeks. Don't rush yourself."

Spencer unconsciously felt for his wedding band, a habit he'd picked up since it had finally been found. The force of the impact from the car hitting him had sent the little gold band flying. That had been the hardest thing to deal with. The pins in his hip were nothing compared to worrying that he had lost that symbol of their commitment.

Morgan leaned against Spencer's desk. "How's the wife?" he asked.

Morgan was the only team member that knew about Ava's pregnancy and only because he'd figured it out for himself when she had nearly knocked him over in her rush to the trashcan the night that Spencer had been injured. Morgan had been sworn to secrecy and no one else on the team had shown any indication of knowing. Ava was very paranoid about telling too many people, believing it would somehow cause bad luck.

"She's sick all the time," Spencer said. "The medication her doctor gave her worked for a while, but it's gotten bad. She's taking leave from her medical practice for now."

"Will that be permanent?"

"I'm not sure. Ava is very dedicated to her work, but equally dedicated to being a mother. Only time will tell."

Morgan nodded. "When are you two going to start telling everyone? I definitely don't want Penelope finding out that I knew the whole time."

Spencer smiled. "We're telling Matt tonight and the rest of her family will find out this weekend."

Morgan grinned and chuckled a bit. "Do you think Matt will be excited?"

Spencer nodded. "I hope he will be. I think he'll just be relieved to know that Ava isn't dying. I wanted to tell him right away, but Ava was set on waiting until the second trimester."

"Why is that?"

"Well, the chances of a miscarriage dramatically decrease in the second trimester. She didn't want to get Matt excited about a little brother or sister and then have that happen."

Morgan nodded. "Yeah, I can see that."

:::::::::::::

"Matt, come here for a minute," Ava called. She was grinning from ear to ear and her grip on Spencer's hand was nearly painful.

Matt came running in the room. His hair was still wet from his bath and he was in his pajamas, but clearly was no where near ready for bed.

"We have something to tell you," Ava said.

Matt was spinning in circles. "What?" he shouted as he fell to the ground, giggling.

Ava laughed. "Well, calm down, silly. Come sit next to me."

Matt bounced into Ava's arm and she perched him on the arm of the couch. She kissed him on the cheek and he started to laugh. "What? What? What?" He continued to bounce.

Ava glanced at Spencer and he put his hand on Matt's back. "You're going to be a big brother."

Matt stopped his bouncing and gave his parents a very confused look. "Huh?"

"I'm going to have a baby," Ava explained. "Right now, your little brother or little sister is growing inside my tummy."

Matt's eyes were wide. "Did you eat it?"

Ava and Spencer both laughed, despite their efforts not to. "No," Ava said. "That's not what happened." She cleared her throat and started to give the explanation she and Spencer had agreed on earlier. "When a man and a woman are in love sometimes there's so much love, that they can't hold it all. So then a baby starts to grow in the woman's tummy so all that love has a place to go."

Matt sighed. "Does that mean I don't get love anymore?"

"Not at all," Spencer said. "We'll still love you just as much. Even though you didn't grow in Ava's tummy the same way this baby will, you're still just as special to us."

Ava hugged Matt. "Families happen in all different kinds of ways," she said. "You were chosen. We love you just the same."

Matt smiled and put his arms around his parents. "I think you should try to grow a boy. There's too many girls already."

**A/N: Soooo, what do you all think? Boy or girl?**


	26. Chapter 26

Spencer watched Ava getting ready. He found himself doing that a lot and he was amazed at how lucky he was. She didn't notice him as she stood sideways in front of her mirror. She pressed her palms to her stomach and scrutinized her reflection.

She caught Spencer watching her and wrinkled her nose at him. "Well, if you're gonna be a creeper, can you at least tell me if I look OK?"

"You look beautiful," he said, gesturing for her to come over. He hugged her around the waist and felt the firm, round bump of her stomach. She wasn't obviously showing yet, but some of her clothes were starting to get too tight.

"I never thought I'd be here, you know?" Ava said.

Spencer nodded. He did understand how she felt. She leaned over and kissed him. "I'm glad to be here though," he said.

Matt ran into the room. "I wanna pet the baby too!" he announced.

Ava gave Spencer a private smile as she took Matt's hand. He was very careful and gentle. Tears welled up in Ava's eyes and she had to laugh at how quick to get emotional she had become recently.

Since finding out about the baby, Matt had started watching the Rugrats videos Penelope had given him. He was quite enamored with the idea of a baby and nothing Spencer or Ava said convinced him that his sibling wouldn't be like Tommy and Chuckie.

Ava grabbed her purse and they started the process of getting Spencer settled into the handicap van they were renting.

::::::::::::

Ava was gripping Spencer's hand tightly as the family started to gather. "Guys, we have an announcement," Ava said.

After a few moments of getting settled the room was silent.

"I'm pregnant," Ava said.

Chaos broke loose. A few of Ava's sisters-in-law started crying. Her mother pushed her way to Ava and hugged her daughter. Congratulatory sentiments came from every direction. Ava's nieces were all squealing with excitement. Ava's brothers shook Spencer's hand. Matt was included in the celebration and he looked absolutely ecstatic. His uncles lifted him up and told him how great it would be to be a big brother. He laughed as he was passed around. His eyes were bright.

After the initial shock passed, Ava's mother and the other women excitedly asked several questions and started making predictions.

"It's a girl," Ava's sister-in-law Diane declared. "I was so sick with all three of my girls."

"Well that's not true," Marissa contradicted. "I was hardly sick at all."

"I don't know," Ava's mother said. "I remember my pregnancy with Ava being the toughest.

"I think it's a boy," Daisy said.

Amy agreed. "Yeah, definitely a boy. Poor Matt is going to need a little brother with all these girl cousins."

They all laughed as the truth of that statement was proven by a chorus of shouts from the children. Matt ran into the room and leapt into Ava's arms. She caught him effortlessly. "What's wrong, little man?"

"They're crazy!" he yelled.

"Inside voice," Ava said with halfhearted sternness.

"They tried to put lipsticks on me," he said.

A few of the nieces came running in. "We didn't do it!" Avery shouted.

Ava laughed. "Girls, a bit of advice from Aunt Ava. Wait until you're accused before you deny it."

"You girls be nice to him," Diane warned.

The girls rushed away, but Matt didn't want to be put down. "Momma, you seriously need to get another boy in here. These girls are makin' me crazy," Matt said. His little face was so serious that Ava had to set him down and shoo him away before everyone broke into laughter.

:::::::::::::

"So, what are you hoping for?" Jeremy asked as he opened a can of beer.

"I don't know," Spencer admitted.

"Girls are a handful," Robert warned. The men shared a laugh.

"I don't know. You boys gave me enough headaches when you were growing up," Ava's dad joked.

Mark sighed. "But I tell ya, there's nothing like daddy's little girl."

"Until they start looking at the boys," Steven added.

Matt was a blond-headed blur as he ran back to the kitchen, chased by his giggling cousins. "Momma!" Matt shouted.

The men chuckled. "I guess we know Matt is hoping for a little brother," Adam said.

::::::::::::::

Ava helped Spencer into bed and then wheeled his chair to the corner. "You happy?" she asked as she settled next to him.

He wrapped his arm around her. "Very."

"So you never have said what you hope it is. Come on, Spencer. Boy or girl?"

"I really don't care," he said. "I just want a healthy baby."

Ava rolled her eyes. "Well, duh," she said and then she smiled. "So do I. But secretly you know you're hoping for one or the other."

"Well, which are you hoping for?" Spencer asked.

"I'm not telling 'til you tell," Ava teased.

Matt appeared at the doorway with his teddy bear, followed closely by his dog, Harvey. "Can I sleep with you guys?"

Ava lifted the covers and Matt carefully climbed in between them. He cuddled close to Ava and put his hand on her stomach. "Hi, baby," he whispered. "Good night." He put his teddy bear next to Ava's belly and started to fall asleep.

Ava and Spencer smiled at each other proudly. Soon, Matt was sleeping soundly. They both kissed Matt on the cheek.

"It doesn't matter," Ava said.

Spencer had to agree.

**A/N: So far the majority is hoping for a girl, but there's still time to give me your opinion. Please review (:**


	27. Chapter 27

Spencer missed being able to go with the team on cases. He felt useless. His team members sounded exhausted on the phone and he didn't feel like his contributions from a distance had done as much good as they pretended, but at least they were on their way back.

The doctor's verdict had him in the wheelchair for at least another two weeks and his request to start physical therapy had been denied. While his rational side knew he should listen, he still wished he could heal faster.

The only thing helping him through was knowing that when the team returned he would be able to tell them the wonderful news. His mind drifted to Ava, Matt, and the baby. Ava seemed to be feeling better and had taken Matt to the Children's Science Museum. As he had that thought, his phone lit up with a text message from Ava, informing him that they were coming to visit.

Their visit was perfectly timed. Shortly after Ava and Matt got their passes and came inside, the team arrived.

Spencer cleared his throat. "Could everyone stay for a minute?"

His haggard colleagues gathered. Morgan was sure to stand toward the back because he knew what was coming.

Ava and Spencer glanced at each other. Ava nodded at Spencer and he looked at the team. "We're having a baby."

Penelope let out a rather loud squeal and fanned her face with her hands. "Oh, wow! I call all baby sitting rights!" She clicked forward on her high heels and wrapped the entire family in an awkward group hug. "I'm so happy for you!" She backed away, wiping tears.

J.J. stepped forward and took Ava's hands in hers. "Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks," Ava said.

J.J. patted Spencer on the shoulder and smiled at him. "Congrats, Spence." She tousled Matt's hair as she backed off to let the others share the moment.

Emily stepped forward and it appeared she was too close to tears to say anything. Instead, she simply smiled, gave Ava a quick hug, and a pat on the back to Spencer and Matt.

Morgan eased his way forward. "Come on now," he said with a grin. He shook Spencer's hand and went to hug Matt, but the child backed away.

"I want handshakes too," Matt said. "I'm gonna be a big brother, so I'm practically a grown up."

Morgan chuckled. "You are never gonna be too grown up for this." He lifted Matt in his arms and the little boy squealed with laughter and made a few insincere demands to be put down. Finally, Derek set him on his feet and he still swayed with laughter.

Morgan turned to Ava and wrapped her in a tight hug. "You and that little boy are the best thing to happen to him," Morgan said, so that only she could hear. "Thank you."

Ava wiped her eyes as he backed away. She smiled at Morgan and whispered, "Thank you."

Rossi hugged Ava and kissed her cheek. She laughed and gestured for Hotch. "Come on," she said. "Join in the love."

She eventually coaxed him in to a quick hug and the entire team laughed.

"So…when do we find out if it's a boy or a girl?" Penelope asked.

Everyone glanced at her.

"I may or may not have made lay away accounts in the event of either," she admitted with a wide smile.

J.J. laughed. "Have you had those since Jack was born?"

"Guilty," Penelope said. "I, for one, hope for a girl. I haven't had the opportunity to spoil a baby girl yet."

Matt wrinkled his nose. "I'll give you one of my cousins cuz I want a brother."

Ava smiled and sighed. "Now, Matt. Your cousins love you very much."

"I love them too but they are still crazy people," he muttered.

Hotch smiled slightly. "I think Jack could use a new friend."

Ava smiled down. "You remember Jack from the wedding, right?"

"Can we show him the scientist museum?" Matt asked.

Ava nodded. "We can definitely do that if it's alright with his dad."

"I think he would like that," Hotch said.

::::::::::::::

The moment they arrived home, Matt fell asleep on the couch clutching the plush dinosaur he'd convinced Ava to get him. The dog jumped on the couch with him. Ava sighed. She didn't particularly like the dog on the furniture, but it was too cute to disturb.

"Do you think he'll be too torn up if it's a girl?" Ava asked.

Spencer shook his head. "I think he'll be happy no matter what."

**A/N: Be kind, review. They're like chocolate to me.**


	28. Chapter 28

Spencer knew right away that something was wrong when Ava was awake before him. He heard her moving around and jolted upright. He was still half asleep and panicking. He turned on his bedside lamp and started pulling his wheelchair towards himself.

Ava appeared at the doorway. She was wearing an old navy blue hooded sweatshirt with FBI in white lettering. He couldn't remember how long he'd had it and it was comically oversized. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she said.

"Is everything alright?" Spencer asked.

Ava nodded. "I had to get tissues," she said. As if to prove her point, she was besieged by a sneezing fit. She wiped her nose and shuffled over to her side of the bed. She groaned and settled down on the mattress, curling up into a ball around her tissue box.

Spencer could tell that Ava really didn't feel well. He still thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, but he didn't think she would believe it so he didn't say so. Instead he gently brushed her hair out of her face. She moved closer to him and he kissed the top of her head as she settled in his arms.

"This sucks," she sighed and then she started to cough.

Spencer held her a bit tighter. He wished that he could make things easier for her. "Do you want me to get you anything?" he asked.

"No," Ava said. "I just want to get back to sleep."

Spencer turned off the bedside lamp and started to massage Ava's back as she fell asleep. He could feel her getting warmer. It was a little quirk of hers that he'd started to notice. As she fell asleep, she became sort of a human space heater.

Suddenly, the soft sound of a child coughing broke the silence. Ava tensed and Spencer could feel her looking at him. He wasn't a doctor, but judging from her reaction, he thought it was a good thing that it was his weekend off.

:::::::::::::::

Spencer balanced the tray on his lap and then set the two bowls of chicken noodle soup on it. He tried to reach for the spoons without spilling, but failed. He spilled a bit more as he reached for Ava's mug of hot tea and Matt's glass of orange juice. Once he had all the items balanced on the tray he slowly rolled himself to the living room. It was a process, but he finally made it.

Ava was helping Matt blow his nose. The child coughed and then groaned. "Momma, I don't like this."

"Look what your dad brought us," Ava said. She stood and helped Spencer get the tray to the coffee table.

Matt thanked Spencer in a soft voice and reached for his orange juice and slowly sipped it. When offered the soup, he refused. Instead he chose to cocoon himself in a blanket and lay on the floor using Harvey as a pillow.

Ava sipped the broth first, keeping a watchful eye on the sick child. She finished her soup and then gently urged Matt to join her on the couch.

"I'm thirsty still," Matt whispered as he laid his head on Ava's shoulder.

Spencer started to roll himself to the kitchen but Ava stood and got the drink for Matt. Though Spencer knew she didn't mean to make him feel inadequate, he still did a bit. He wanted to be able to take care of them.

:::::::::::

Matt's cough slowly went away and by his bed time, he seemed to be feeling a lot better. Ava suspected that by morning Matt would be almost back to normal. She checked his temperature one last time before going back to bed.

"What's wrong?" Ava asked when she noticed that Spencer seemed subdued. "I hope you don't have it too."

"It's not that," Spencer said. He sighed. "I just feel like I wasn't much good to you both today."

Ava smiled sympathetically. "You were wonderful. Don't feel so guilty, honey. Before you know it, you'll be out of that wheelchair and I'll have you running all over the place."

Spencer shrugged in concession. "I just want to help you now. I want to do everything for you because…" Spencer trailed off, taking a deep breath before finishing the heartfelt confession. "Because you've made me so happy by giving me a family."

Ava hugged Spencer. "I would kiss you, but I don't want to make you sick." She laughed softly. "You have a way of saying the sweetest, most romantic things."

Spencer gave her a lopsided grin. "I'm glad you think so because it's never on purpose. I just tell the truth."

"That's what makes it so sweet," Ava said. She cuddled up beside him.

Spencer turned off the light. "Good night," he said.

Warmth was radiating from Ava and she didn't respond. She was already sleeping. Spencer rested his head on his pillow, but didn't go to sleep. He smiled and was thankful for his wife sleeping beside him, their son sleeping in the bedroom down the hall, and the baby that would soon be sleeping in a bassinet at the end of the bed. He definitely loved his life.

**A/N: Review or I might just delay the big reveal of the baby's gender. Oh, I am so evil :]**


	29. Chapter 29

With the morning sickness almost completely gone, Ava seemed to be eating everything she could find. She had a particular craving for tomatoes and had taken to carrying a Ziploc bag full of cherry tomatoes everywhere she went. Spencer smiled as he noticed her reaching into her stash as they sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office.

There were a few toys in the center of the room, but Matt showed no interest in approaching the other children that were playing with them. Instead, he sat close to Ava's side. "Momma, why are you always eating those?" Matt asked.

"The baby wants them," Ava said, smiling and leaning down to kiss Matt on the forehead.

The nurse appeared at the doorway and called, "Ava Reid?"

Spencer followed as Ava took Matt by the hand and led the way to the hallway. There was an extra bounce in Matt's step and it was clear he was excited. "I'm the big brother," he told the nurse.

She smiled at him and went over a list of questions with Ava as they walked down the hall. Yes, the morning sickness was gone. No, she didn't have any unusual bleeding. Yes, she was drinking plenty of fluids.

Matt grew more and more hyper as the technician started to set up for the ultrasound. He asked, "What's that?" at least seven times before Spencer lifted him carefully onto his lap. Spencer felt a lot better and he was confident that he'd be allowed to progress to crutches soon.

Ava smiled at her husband and son as the ultrasound began. Matt was amazed by the image when it appeared.

Spencer was fairly enthralled as well. On the screen, in black and white and grey, was his child. The baby was moving a bit, touching it's hand to it's face. He let out a shaky breath and was surprised at the tear that slipped down his cheek. He wiped it away before it was noticed.

"Everything looks normal," Ava said.

The ultrasound technician snickered. "You doctors make the worst patients."

Ava laughed softly and then glanced at Spencer and Matt. "Alright, well I'll look away and you can tell us if it's a boy or a girl."

"Give me a second," the tech said. She made a humming sound. "Come on, baby, cooperate…"

They waited in silence for what felt like forever.

Finally, the verdict came. "It looks like…it's a girl."

Spencer felt for a moment that the world stood still. It was like a thousand thoughts at once hit him. He was overjoyed to think that soon there would be a baby girl in his arms. He hoped that she would be beautiful like Ava. He was sure she would be. Then fear crept in. He knew all to well the dangers that little girls faced in the world. He could only hope to protect her from the majority of it, but he knew it was unrealistic to think he could shield her from everything, though he desperately wanted to. There was one thing he was sure of. His daughter would never have to be afraid or want for anything. She was being born into an incredible family.

Ava took Spencer's hand and they both looked at Matt. The little boy seemed captivated, watching the baby moving on the monitor, but he hadn't really shown a reaction yet.

::::::::::::

Matt was a bit sad when the lady said that the baby was going to be a girl. He'd really wanted a brother. He looked at Spencer and Ava and they both looked very excited. He couldn't really understand why. It was just another girl, like all of his cousins.

But as he watched the baby moving around on the screen, he started to feel a bit different. That girl in his momma's belly wouldn't be like his cousins. He would teach her how to play with dinosaurs and how to throw balls for Harvey. His sister wouldn't play with stupid Barbies and make-up. She would play chess with him and maybe she would be on his side when the cousins were being mean.

The one thing he was sure of was that he would always be there for her. He knew how the bad men sometimes liked girls and he didn't want his sister to be one of them. He watched how his sister wiggled around and he got scared. What if something bad happened? He didn't want to think about that. He decided he wasn't going to let that happen.

He looked at his parents and smiled. They looked very happy and he knew he was happy too. It wouldn't be so bad having a sister.

:::::::::::

Ava grinned at the prints of the ultrasound. She knew she had a long night of phone calls to make, but she wasn't lacking energy at all. She felt like she was ready to do anything and everything.

She was a surprised that Matt was incredibly excited. Her adopted son insisted on telling every person he saw that he was going to have a little sister. Spencer seemed overjoyed and she was glad to see him smiling so much.

In that moment, walking out of the clinic, she felt like her life couldn't be any more perfect.

**A/N: Yup, it's a girl (: Let me know what you think.**


	30. Chapter 30

Spencer was overjoyed when his doctor said he could get rid of his crutches. He walked out to his car, eager to return home and finally be able to lift his son in the air when the child ran to greet him. Unfortunately, he had to return to work. Spencer wanted to go straight home. Ava was in her twenty-ninth week of pregnancy and a combination of one close call and high blood pressure had her on bed rest.

Spencer arrived to find that the team was nowhere in sight. There was a memo on his desk, instructing him to go home. He tried not to be afraid, but he couldn't help it. Spencer had encountered the darkest sides of humanity, witnessed horrifying crimes, sat across a table from the world's most heinous criminals. None of that compared to the fear he'd felt when Ava had started having odd pains at twenty-four weeks.

He rushed from the building, ignoring the lingering stiffness in his joints as he hurried. He dialed Ava's cell phone, but there was no answer. He rationalized that it was entirely possible Matt was wrapped up in a game of Angry Birds.

He arrived home and crashed through the door. Ava was in a lounge chair, hands in the air.

"Surprise!" a group shouted.

Ava laughed. "I had nothing to do with this."

Matt giggled. "I did! I helped! Me and Loopy we did all this!" Matt tugged at Spencer's sleeve. "You were surprised, Dad," he said, very seriously.

Spencer nodded and easily lifted Matt into his arms as he finally registered that everything was alright. The living room had been transformed with pink streamers and balloons. Presents occupied the entirety of the couch and the team was forced to stand, holding their pink paper cups filled with red punch.

Morgan set his cup down and held his arms open. "Come on, Matt. Let's give your dad a chance to try some of the awesome snacks you picked out."

Matt laughed and flopped in to Morgan's arms, so trusting that he would be caught. Spencer passed the trays of finger foods and instead knelt beside Ava. She smiled at him, "I honestly had no idea they were doing this until they all showed up."

"That's fine, I just…" Spencer cleared his throat. "I just let my imagination run wild. I thought that something might've happened to you."

Ava gave him a knowing smile. "I know, honey, but everything is going to be alright."

Spencer let Ava's words reassure him, despite the fact that she had no way of knowing that for sure. He stood and got himself a drink.

Penelope was refilling a chip bowl and she took the opportunity to speak with him. "I hope this was alright, boy genius," she said. "We just wanted to have a little baby shower for you."

Spencer smiled. "It's alright, I was just very surprised."

"That was the goal. Your little boy is being trained in the art of superior awesome by the master herself."

Spencer chuckled softly to himself as Matt started announcing that it was time for presents. The child ran to the pile of gifts and then ran to Ava. Spencer moved to her side as she flipped the tag over to read that the gift had come from Emily. Spencer glanced up, smiled and nodded at Emily as Ava dove in to the gift.

Everything was so tiny and pastel. Emily had given them a set of tiny pink and purple socks, a few bibs, and tiny hair bows. J.J.'s gift was a set of pale pink crib sheets with little ducks on them and a matching blanket. Morgan had given a baby bath set and earned a smile by adding 'one for mom too'. Dave and Hotch had shocked everyone by selecting several cute outfits. Penelope, of course, had gone all out with toys and clothes and the latest baby gadgets declared essential by the Internet.

His earlier panic now refreshed with a new aspect. It was all so tiny: the clothes, the teething rings, the rattles, and the socks. As a certified genius, of course he knew babies are small. It just hadn't dawned on him just how small. He couldn't remember J.J.'s son being that small.

The guests left one by one. Spencer could tell that Ava was exhausted. He knelt beside the recliner and took her hand. "You can go to bed," he said. "Matt and I will put away all the gifts."

Ava looked reluctant to leave the task to them, but she nodded. Spencer helped her to the bedroom, though she insisted she didn't need it. Spencer didn't care though; he wanted to help her as much as he could to make up for the time he hadn't been able to.

He returned to the living room to find Matt examining the gifts. He had taken one of the socks out of the package and was examining it like he'd never seen such a thing before.

"What are you thinking about, Matt?" Spencer asked.

"Why's everything so small?"

Spencer smiled and eased himself on to the floor beside his son. "Well, babies are very small at first."

"Yeah, but this is really small. Like a bug."

Spencer laughed and started to fold the clothing. "I know, but she won't stay this small forever."

"I hope not because a bug is not going to be good at much things."

"Many things," Spencer corrected. He set down the tiny dress he was holding and pulled his son into his lap. "You have to understand that the baby is going to be really small at first and she won't be able to play with you right away."

Matt sighed. "I know…I'm excited for her to get big though so we can play with her. And then you and Ava should make another baby, except this one will be a boy so I can have a brother. Make two. I need two brothers."

Spencer laughed and shook his head. "I don't know about all that."

"Well you could adopt one too, like how you adopted me," Matt said. "I just want a brother, okay?"

"I know, Matt, but let's just think about one thing at a time."

"Can we look at the names book again?" Matt asked.

Spencer glanced at the pile of gifts, but decided he didn't care about the mess. He stood and grabbed the book from the shelf. He and Matt settled down into the chair and Spencer opened the book. Matt ran his finger along the lines of text, mimicking what he'd observed Spencer doing. He paused. "What's this name?"

"Katherine," Spencer said.

"I like that one," Matt said. "What is her name going to be?"

"We haven't decided yet."

"Can I help?" Matt said. He yawned loudly.

Spencer smiled. "You're tired too."

"Am not?"

"I think you are."

"No." He yawned again and then shrugged. "Maybe some."

Spencer gave Matt a nudge and they stood. Spencer waited while Matt changed into his pajamas and then found himself being pulled by the sleeve in to the bedroom to read a story. Near the end of the tale, Harvey plodded in to the room. The old yellow dog had a bit of trouble with his first try jumping in to the bed, but after his second he settled down by Matt's feet.

"The end," Spencer said, closing the book.

"Daddy?" Matt asked.

"Yes?" Spencer replied.

"You'll still love me the same after the baby, right?"

"Of course," Spencer said. It had become a nightly ritual for Matt to ask that question. Spencer felt horrible hearing it. At first he had over analyzed his behavior, searching for a reason for the question. Eventually, once he cleared his mind of the fear he'd done something wrong, he'd realized that it was perfectly normal for his son to ask that and he would reassure the child as much as was needed.

Once Matt was sleeping, Spencer returned to the gifts and started moving them to the nursery in construction. He started to put away what he could, but didn't get very far. His cell phone chirped from his pocket.

"Hello," he answered.

"Reed, you need to come in," Hotch said. "We've got a case in California, we're leaving in an hour."

Spencer sighed. "Alright," he said.

He hung up the phone and went to grab his go-bag from the closet. He whispered his good bye to a sleeping Ava and left a note on the bedside table explaining where he was going and promising to call in the morning. Though he needed to get going, he took the time to check in on Matt.

He hated going so far and he hoped that things would move fairly quickly. Spencer didn't want to miss anything. The closer Ava's due date got, the more he hated traveling across the country because he was afraid to miss something.

**Feel free to suggest baby names and share your predictions. All reviews are appreciated (:**


	31. Chapter 31

It must have been the season for serial killers. It was disheartening. In a time that should have been spent preparing for the arrival of his daughter, now only seven weeks away, Spencer Reid was away from home more than ever before. At least it seemed that way. He had never really had a reason to want to be home before, so perhaps it just seemed that he was away more.

"Hello? Hello?" Emily's voice snapped Spencer out of his thoughts.

He spilled a bit of his coffee as he scrambled to pretend that he hadn't been distracted. "Yes, right, the stabbing clearly indicated impotency or compensation of some sort."

"Yes, we just finished discussing that," Dave said with a knowing smile. "Your head clearly isn't here."

Spencer sighed, avoiding the reprimanding look he was getting from Hotch. "I hope this won't continue to be a problem," he said.

Spencer nodded. "Of course, it won't happen again." Spencer knew that wasn't true though. His mind would be with Ava every minute. The mandate from the doctor to stay in bed when possible was still in effect. Ava had started having leg cramps that reduced her to tears, along with the return of morning sickness. She was more often than not in a very volatile and needy mood, but that didn't make Spencer want to be with her any less. In fact, he felt like it was his duty as a husband to be there every moment and it was something he just couldn't do.

He was proud of his son though, who had taken to drawing pictures for the baby when she arrived. Matt's artwork was endearing and Spencer always looked forward to seeing it when he returned. The most recent one Matt had drawn was of the baby as a princess and of himself and Harvey as knights fighting a dragon. The psychology was clear and Spencer was relieved to see the natural protective instinct in his son. The drawing was now in a frame on the wall opposite the crib. The location had been Matt's idea because he wanted the baby to be able to see it. Neither of the parents had the heart to tell him that it would be a while before the baby's visual facilities would be capable enough to see something across the room.

The plane landed and the team disembarked. Spencer was tempted to call home right then, but there wasn't enough time. The first crime scene was a mere ten minutes away.

::::::

It had been a long day. Spencer wanted nothing more than to collapse on the bed in his hotel room. Maybe he would remove his shoes first, but that was unlikely. He knew that if he lay down, he would fall asleep, so instead he sat at the edge of the bed as he dialed home.

"Hello," Ava answered. She sounded as tired as he felt.

"Hello, love. You sound exhausted."

Ava sighed. "Yeah, I feel pretty awful. How are you though, honey?"

"I'm a little tired," he admitted.

"I won't keep you up long. I'll call Matt in here so you can talk to him for a while."

Spencer heard a tap as she covered the phone's speaker with her palm and the muffled sound of her calling their son.

After a few moments, Matt's voice came over the line. "Daddy!"

"Hey, son," Spencer said. He put extra effort in to sounding energetic. He didn't want Matt to know how tired he was. "What have you been doing today?"

"I colored some and played outside!"

"Sounds like you had a busy day."

"I did! I also got to feel the baby kick some. I think she's trying to break out of there."

Spencer smiled. "Well, she needs to stay in there for a while longer. She's not quite ready yet."

"I want her to be here now," Matt said with a sigh.

"I know, but not yet." Spencer glanced at his watch. "It's almost time for you to go to bed. Are you ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Did you brush your teeth?"

"Yes."

"Did you actually do it or did you just chew on the toothbrush?"

"Dad," Matt said, sounding a little too much like a teenager. He burst in to giggles. "I brushed them good."

"Alright, well, give your mom a kiss and lay down."

After about five minutes, Spencer heard Matt's voice again. "OK, Daddy. I'm ready."

Spencer smiled and began to recite Matt's usual bedtime story from memory. It was almost the same as being there, but missing the feeling of the child falling asleep in his arms. At least he got the heartwarming joy of hearing the softly whispered, "I love you, Dad." That made everything worth it.

Shortly after Matt's breathing had settled into a soft rhythm, Ava's voice returned in a whisper. "You're a good man. You know that, right?"

Spencer smiled. "I'll try my best to be home soon."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

::::::

Ava had a hard time sleeping that night. She tossed and turned so much that Matt got up and went to his own bed. She had gotten maybe a half an hour of rest before she woke up again. It was miserable.

At four in the morning, things took a turn for the worse. A terrible pain spread across her back. It was worse than being shot, worse than any pain she'd ever experienced. It terrified her. Tears streamed down her face as she gasped, waiting for it to be over. She stood, but quickly sunk to her knees. She felt something dripping down her leg.

Her hands were shaking as she dialed 911. She was sobbing as she told them her address. The dispatcher stayed on the line with her. Another wave of pain took her over and she couldn't help but cry out.

She heard the patter of little feet racing to her and soon Matt was behind her. "Momma, what's happening?"

"Everything's OK, sweetheart," she said, though she wasn't entirely sure. "Everything's OK. Help is coming, alright? I need you to be brave and open the door for them when they come."

"Momma…"

"Go, baby. Go wait for them. It's OK."

Matt ran from the room and Ava screamed into her balled up fist.

:::::

Spencer's eyes ached. He knew he should get some sleep, but he couldn't. There were only two hours left in the flight. Two hours until he would be by Ava's side. Realistically, he knew there was nothing he could do, but he needed to be there.

:::::

Once again, Spencer was in the hospital, holding Matt's hand as he went in to Ava's hospital room. Once again, she was connected to several machines, their soft beeping both scary and reassuring. He went to her side and gently brushed the hair out of her face.

"You're here," she whispered.

"I am," he replied, choking back a knot in his throat. "I'm right here."

"Is everything OK? The baby…"

"It's all OK. The baby is doing fine. She's in a breech position. You're going to have to have a C-section, but I'll be there and everything will be alright."

"Spencer, this isn't good…"

A tear ran down Ava's cheek and Spencer quickly wiped it away. Matt whimpered at his side and he put his arm around his son. For a moment, Spencer was shocked at how easily it came to him. Inside, he was terrified. He didn't know what was going to happen. Somehow, he maintained the exterior calm despite the storm raging within.

Ava's mother arrived and Spencer went out to greet her. She took Matt by the hand and Spencer gave his son a quick hug before going to prepare for surgery. He changed in to scrubs, put on the gloves, the mask, the little paper booties over his shoes. He emerged just in time to race to the OR with Ava.

He held her hand, trying to focus on her and not see the incision as it was being made. It all went so fast and slow at once. After what seemed like an eternity, Spencer saw his daughter for the first time.

She was beautiful. Much too small, much too still, but she was beautiful.

"Spencer…Spencer..." Ava whispered.

A soft, shrill cry broke through the hums and beeps of the machines. The sound warbled, but it was there. It was soft, but it was there.

Ava smiled.

Ava's grip on his hand went soft. Her eyes closed. The machines started to go crazy. Spencer was pulled from the room, away from his wife and daughter.

**Yup, it's a cliff hanger. Love me? Hate me? Let me know with a review.**


	32. Chapter 32

Spencer stood outside of the OR for what felt like an eternity. He didn't know what was happening. After staring at the doorway for a long time, he started to move again. Backwards, toward the wall opposite the door. His back hit the wall and he slid to the floor.

What was he going to do?

The fear and the exhaustion proved to be almost too much. He was wiping at his eyes furiously with the back of his wrist when the nurse came out of the OR.

He sprung to his feet so fast that it hurt his old hip injury. The profiler in him was desperately trying to read the nurses face, but the concerned husband and father was too distracted and emotional.

"Mr. Reid?"

::::::

Matt didn't like hospitals. He wanted to leave, but then he remembered he would see his little sister soon and he thought it might be alright to stay for a while. He just wished he could see her sooner. He wanted to see Ava too. Matt wished he could have gone with her like his dad had. He was scared because of the way she had been acting. He hoped it wasn't his fault she was so hurt.

Matt glanced at his grandmother. He wanted to ask questions, but she didn't look like she wanted to talk. The elevators chimed and Matt looked over at them. His face lit up when he saw Derek. He ran toward the man and smiled as he was lifted up. Matt loved being lifted up like that and wanted it every chance he got. He knew it wouldn't last long because he planned on growing to be the size of Superman.

"Hey there, little man," Derek said. "How is everything?"

"I dunno," Matt mumbled. He cleared his throat, remembering that it was rude to mumble. "Ava had to go with the doctors and Dad stayed with her, but I'm waiting out here."

"Well, I'll wait with you then," Derek said.

:::::

It was a beautiful day and the ocean air smelled wonderful. Ava knew she had to be dreaming. She heard a child shouting and she turned to see what it was.

Matt was jogging with a plastic bucket full of seashells. He was laughing as the shells spilled out of the bucket. A little girl, about two years old was following behind. Her dark hair was in pigtails and she looked mad. She stopped every few steps to pick up the seashells that had been dropped. "No!" she shouted again.

Coming up the hill and into view, was their father. Spencer's pants were rolled up and his feet were bare. He watched the children with an amused look on his face.

The little girl turned and ran to Spencer. She was still clearly distressed that some of the seashells were lost. Spencer bent down and lifted the girl in to the air.

Ava wanted to go join them. She started to call out to them, but a loud beep interrupted her. And then another. Her vision blurred until she couldn't see them anymore.

:::::

"Your wife experienced a lot of bleeding. We expected some due to her past injuries, but this was much worse than we anticipated."

Spencer braced himself for the bad news.

"Fortunately, we were able to stop the main source of the bleeding. Doctors are still working to stop it all, but the biggest danger is gone."

"She's alright?"

"Chances are good."

"What about the baby? My daughter?"

"She's being examined by the doctor on call in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She's what we call moderately preterm. Generally, babies born this early will have some respiratory problems and she'll have difficulty learning to eat, but there should be no long term effects."

"They're both OK," Spencer whispered.

"Yes, sir," the nurse replied. "If you want to go to the waiting room, someone will come for you as soon as your daughter is ready for a visit. Your wife will be in surgery for a while longer."

:::::

"Where's Momma?" Matt asked.

Spencer made a soft hushing sound. "She's resting. We'll get to see her soon. It's important that you be quiet and gentle because she just had surgery."

Matt put a finger over his lips and nodded. "What about the baby?" he asked, just as loudly as before.

"We'll see her soon too, Matt."

The nurse opened the door and stepped out of Ava's hospital room. "She's ready for you now."

"Remember what I said?" Spencer asked.

"Be quiet," Matt replied.

Spencer nodded and took his son by the hand. They went inside. The lighting in the room was low and cast an eerie glow on Ava's pale face. She looked frail and vulnerable, but there was a steady rise and fall to her chest. She opened her eyes and managed a small smile.

Matt sniffed and rubbed his eyes. "Are you dying, Momma?" he said.

She smiled. "No, honey," she said. "I'm not dying. I'm just a little tired. No more tears, OK?"

Matt nodded and tried to smile back.

Spencer smoothed Ava's hair back, having no option to hold her hand because of the tubes and needles. They locked eyes for a moment. They couldn't and wouldn't discuss just how close a call it had been with Matt in the room. The entire pregnancy had been terrifying and exhausting for both of them. It had strengthened their relationship in many ways, testing its strength through the complications, fears, and emergencies.

There was a quick knock on the door and then it opened. A wheel squeaked and the family was still as the newest addition was brought in. She was in an incubator, shielded from the world by clear plastic. Monitors were attached to her and machines on the cart kept track of her breathing and heart rate.

The nurse was a pudgy, middle aged woman with a kind smile. "Hello, everyone."

"Hi," Matt whispered.

"This little girl is quite the fighter," the nurse said. "She's five pounds, six ounces and twenty inches long. She's going to have to stay in the incubator for another day or two, but she's doing well breathing on her own. This is the first preemie I've ever had that improved so quickly."

The nurse wheeled the cart closer and they all peered down at the sleeping baby. She was tiny. Smaller than Spencer had ever expected. A pink, soft hat on her head couldn't hide her dark hair. Her eyes were closed as she slept peacefully. Her lips were perfect, her cheeks were perfect. Ten tiny toes, ten tiny fingers, with paper thin nails were pink and perfect.

"She looks like a bug…but a cute bug, I think," Matt assessed.

"She's beautiful," Spencer murmured. He glanced at Ava for a moment and quickly decided that their little daughter was somehow everything good about both of them.

Spencer felt like they could have stayed there for an eternity, just looking at her, but the nurse had to take her back.

"Bye," Matt whispered.

Spencer held Matt a little tighter as he sat down in the chair next to Ava's bed. He felt like, if he'd wanted to, he could finally rest knowing that everything was right in the world because of that baby girl in the NICU and the little boy in his lap and the strong, beautiful woman in the hospital bed before them.

Ava sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "We still need a name," she said.

"You need to rest," Spencer said.

"Not until she has a name," Ava insisted.

"Katharine," Matt suggested. He yawned. "Like in the book that night, me and Daddy saw it. I think it's nice."

Spencer and Ava smiled at each other. "I think that's a great name," Spencer said.

Matt yawned again and rested his head on Spencer's shoulder. "I think it's a good name. So is Easter Bunny."

Spencer chuckled. "I like Katharine better."

Ava nodded. "I agree. What do you think for a middle name?"

Spencer thought for a moment, his mind racing. He thought about all the hopes and dreams he had for his daughter. A poem sped through his mind and he couldn't stop from speaking the last stanza.

"_Since she will laugh in April's face _

_No matter how he rains or blows - _

_Then O that I wild April were, _

_To play with laughing Rose."_

"Rose," Ava repeated. She considered it and then nodded her approval.

"Katharine Rose," Spencer said. He liked the sound.


End file.
